Parker Clair, “Using 3D-Geometries to Analyze Blood Flow Properties in Aneurysms and Parent Arteries in Order to Differentiate Stable and Unstable Aneurysms”
Mentor: Mahsa Dabagh, Biomedical Engineering
Poster #39

The objective of this research is to develop new criteria, by tracking aneurysm growth over time, to differentiate growing aneurysms from stable ones. Roughly 6.5 million Americans have an unruptured brain aneurysm and 30,000 experience a rupture per year. Aneurysms are difficult to diagnose early since they often do not show symptoms. When they are detected, it is hard for clinicians to predict if the aneurysm would stay stable or grow. Therefore, tracking the growth of aneurysms is critical to prevent aneurysm rupture. In this study, 3D geometries of aneurysm and parent arteries are reconstructed from patient-specific CT-scans. Pulsatile blood flow is simulated within 3D models to quantify hemodynamic features. Additionally, we relate the distribution of hemodynamic parameters to anatomical geometry of aneurysm. This will be done using 2 different programs. The first program is called Mimics, and it can be used to compare images of the same patient’s aneurysm but taken at different times. This can help identify where the aneurysm anatomy is changing. The other program in use is Ansys Fluent to simulate blood flow through the aneurysm and quantify various properties at different points on the aneurysm such as wall shear stress, velocity, pressure, and more. Our results show that the reason that aneurysm can burst is due to the disturbed blood flow within the aneurysm. Simulating the patient’s first aneurysm can be compared to the results from Mimics to see if how the behavior of blood in the aneurysm is associated with the growing areas of the aneurysm. This will be tested by analyzing the aneurysms of 4 different patients. Each patient had 2 separated CT-scans taken at different follow-up stages.