Correlation of Integral Hemodynamic Indices of Blood Flow in Personal-Specific Models of Carotid Bifurcation

The paper studies the interdependence of integral hemodynamic indices characterizing the risk zones for atherosclerosis development in the carotid artery bifurcation region. Geometric models of vessels are constructed using the CT angiography data from patients to perform numerical calculations of steady-state periodic blood flow and hemodynamic indices related to parietal shear stress. Then, the regions with critical values of the indices higher than values for healthy arteries are mapped on the walls of the models using numerical calculations results. The integral values of the indices calculated over those regions are compared with similar values calculated using healthy vessels models and models constructed using data of endarterectomy patients. There is a strong linear correlation of the indices observed within a sample of101 models. The influence of critical values characterizing the critical region on the relationship of integral parameters is also investigated in the paper.