(202e) Parameters Related to Pathologic Severity of Arterial Stenosis

A constriction of an artery, also known as arterial stenosis, can lead to pressure loss values larger than those typical for a healthy, non-stenosed artery. This increase in pressure loss across an artery can lead to significant effects on the functioning of the body. Arterial stenosis can be seen through various clinical imaging techniques, so insights into the effects of different geometric parameters could provide important information for physicians. Computational fluid dynamics allows for the relatively quick study of various stenotic-artery geometries that can affect the magnitude of pressure loss across a stenosis. In this work, computational fluid dynamics simulations varying the axial location of a stenosis, the immediate structure of a stenosis, stenosis percent occlusion and stenosis eccentricity were performed. The results indicate that the pressure loss across a stenotic artery has little dependence on eccentricity, and some dependence on axial location and the structure of the stenosis. The most significant dependence was on percent stenosis; the simulations indicated a critical percent stenosis of approximately 80%, above which the pressure loss increases rapidly. This critical percent stenosis is consistent with guidelines used by physicians to indicate a severe stenosis. Relating geometric parameters that would be visible with diagnostic imaging to pressure loss will provide more information to physicians making therapeutic decisions.