Abstract:
The non-Newtonian transient blood flow with fluid-structure interaction was numerically simulated for 6 stenosis ratios of carotid arteries with the computational fluid dynamics method. The effects of the carotid artery stenosis ratio on the hemodynamic performance were investigated to clarify the relationship between the stenosis ratio and the atherosclerotic plaque formation and development in the carotid artery. The results show that, different stenosis ratios of the carotid artery result in obviously dissimilar hemodynamic characteristic distributions. Compared with the stenosis ratios of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, the stenosis ratio of 0.5 corresponds to strikingly larger blood stagnant vortex flow zones around the stenotic section. Under the action of the complex bood flow field, lower wall pressure, abnormal wall shear stress distribution, larger total mesh displacement and higher von Mises stress will occur around this section, where the lipid and fibrin macromolecules may easily deposit due to low-speed blood flow. Meanwhile, low wall pressure may cause obvious‘negative pressure’effects, and in turn insufficient blood supply for brain. Furthermore, the atherosclerotic plaques are liable to rupture and fall off under abnormal wall shear stress distribution, and consequently block the blood vessel in brain. Large vascular von Mises stress may cause stress concentration and rupture of blood vessel, providing favorable conditions for the occurrence of stroke. Therefore, the larger stenosis ratio the carotid artery has, the greater the influence is on the formation and development of atherosclerotic plaques,and the higher the possibility of cerebral ischemic stroke occurs.