Thrombus growth modelling and stenosis prediction in the cerebral microvasculature
Journal
Journal of Theoretical Biology
Journal Volume
478
Pages
1-13
Date Issued
2019
Author(s)
Abstract
Cerebral microvascular occlusions cause restriction of blood supply to the brain, thus potentially severely impacting cognitive abilities. Thus, accurate prediction of thrombus growth in realistic geometries is important. Thrombi growth in an existing 13-generation cerebral microvasculature network is simulated here to study the haemodynamic effects of single and multiple blockages on the occlusion of the network. Compared to a single vessel, in a network, the occlusion probability is found to be different. It is the downstream/smaller arterioles (i.e. the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th generation arterioles in this study) that tend to reach occlusion first in a network and thus are the critical vessels. Simulations of simultaneous growth of two independent thrombi in the network (referred to here as the two-block case) show a close coupling between the locations of the various blocks in the network, each influencing the other's growth. The presence of the lead block (LB) slows the growth of the trailing block (TB). In some cases, it stops the TB's growth thereby preventing it from occluding the vessel. Findings in this work thus indicate that, to prevent ischaemia, blocks in the smaller arterioles need to be identified and treated first, and that this is more critical if the number of simultaneous blocks is higher. ? 2019 Elsevier Ltd
Subjects
blood
brain
cardiovascular system
coagulation
fluid dynamics
prediction
Article
brain blood vessel
brain ischemia
cerebral microvasculature
disease control
hemodynamics
human
mathematical model
measurement accuracy
microvasculature
occlusive cerebrovascular disease
priority journal
simulation
thrombus
arteriole
biological model
computer simulation
pathology
physiology
reproducibility
stenosis, occlusion and obstruction
thrombosis
time factor
vascularization
Arterioles
Brain
Computer Simulation
Constriction, Pathologic
Humans
Microvessels
Models, Biological
Reproducibility of Results
Thrombosis
Time Factors
SDGs
Type
journal article