Mathematical modeling of arterial blood flow and correlation to atherosclerosis

The importance of arterial flow phenomena with regard to atherosclerosis motivates detailed studies of local cardiovascular flow dynamics. The quantitative analysis of flow characteristics can contribute to the understanding of fluid dynamic induced and favored mechanisms in atherogenesis. Numerical methods are very useful in supporting experimental methods and often enable the determination of flow variables which are difficult to obtain in experiments. Due to the development of improved numerical procedures for the blood specific flow equations and due to the application of modern computer technology, the calculations can be carried out under conditions describing the physiological situation in a realistic manner including essential effects. Here various aspects of arterial flow simulation are presented and discussed. The possibilities and difficulties of numerical simulation of arterial flow using finite element approximations are illustrated with the aid of the human carotid artery bifurcation and a distal end- to-side anastomosis model. Further convective-diffusive mass transport in a curved tube model is considered