A FEM study of aortic hemodynamics in the case of stenosis

In this report we use a real, two-dimensional geometry of a human abdominal aorta with mild stenosis from images obtained with a MR scanner. Finite element method was used for solving the governing equations for two-dimensional, steady, laminar flow of an incompressible, non-Newtonian fluid in that geometry. The accuracy with which the governing equations were solved using the finite element method was not examined quantitatively in the present study due to a lack of published data. Numerical results were found to be in excellent agreement with Womersley theory and with laser Doppler anemometry velocity data obtained for steady flow in a human model. The distributions of the velocity profile, wall shear stress and pressure along vessel during the cardiac cycle are shown. The results were compared to known values, and peaks were found. The shape of velocity distribution is strongly disturbed by the stenosis, and disturbance is clearly evident whatever instant of the cardiac cycle was considered. The general flow features were accurately predicted based on the finite element flow model, which allows the conclusion that computational fluid dynamics can be used to facilitate improvement of the medical research of cardiovascular physiology.