Geometry-based pressure drop prediction in mildly diseased human coronary arteries.

Pressure drop (△p) estimations in human coronary arteries have several important applications, including determination of appropriate boundary conditions for CFD and estimation of fractional flow reserve (FFR). In this study a △p prediction was made based on geometrical features derived from patient-specific imaging data. Twenty-two mildly diseased human coronary arteries were imaged with computed tomography and intravascular ultrasound. Each artery was modelled in three consecutive steps: from straight to tapered, to stenosed, to curved model. CFD was performed to compute the additional △p in each model under steady flow for a wide range of Reynolds numbers. The correlations between the added geometrical complexity and additional △p were used to compute a predicted △p. This predicted △p based on geometry was compared to CFD results. The mean △p calculated with CFD was 855±666Pa. Tapering and curvature added significantly to the total △p, accounting for 31.4±19.0% and 18.0±10.9% respectively at Re=250. Using tapering angle, maximum area stenosis and angularity of the centerline, we were able to generate a good estimate for the predicted △p with a low mean but high standard deviation: average error of 41.1±287.8Pa at Re=250. Furthermore, the predicted △p was used to accurately estimate FFR (r=0.93). The effect of the geometric features was determined and the pressure drop in mildly diseased human coronary arteries was predicted quickly based solely on geometry. This pressure drop estimation could serve as a boundary condition in CFD to model the impact of distal epicardial vessels.

A method for the quantification of the pressure dependent 3D collagen configuration in the arterial adventitia.

Collagen plays an important role in the response of the arterial wall to mechanical loading and presumably has a load-bearing function preventing overdistension. Collagen configuration is important for understanding this role, in particular in mathematical models of arterial wall mechanics. In this study a new method is presented to image and quantify this configuration. Collagen in the arterial adventitia is stained with CNA35, and imaged in situ at high resolution with confocal microscopy at luminal pressures from 0 to 140mm Hg. The images are processed with a new automatic approach, utilizing techniques intended for MRI-DTI data. Collagen configuration is quantified through three parameters: the waviness, the transmural angle and the helical angle. The method is demonstrated for the case of carotid arteries of the white New Zealand rabbit. The waviness indicated a gradual straightening between 40 and 80mm Hg. The transmural angle was about zero indicating that the fibers stayed within an axial-circumferential plane at all pressures. The helical angle was characterized by a symmetrical distribution around the axial direction, indicating a double symmetrical helix. The method is the first to combine high resolution imaging with a new automatic image processing approach to quantify the 3D configuration of collagen in the adventitia as a function of pressure.

Experimental investigation of collagen waviness and orientation in the arterial adventitia using confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Mechanical properties of the adventitia are largely determined by the organization of collagen fibers. Measurements on the waviness and orientation of collagen, particularly at the zero-stress state, are necessary to relate the structural organization of collagen to the mechanical response of the adventitia. Using the fluorescence collagen marker CNA38-OG488 and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we imaged collagen fibers in the adventitia of rabbit common carotid arteries ex vivo. The arteries were cut open along their longitudinal axes to get the zero-stress state. We used semi-manual and automatic techniques to measure parameters related to the waviness and orientation of fibers. Our results showed that the straightness parameter (defined as the ratio between the distances of endpoints of a fiber to its length) was distributed with a beta distribution (mean value 0.72, variance 0.028) and did not depend on the mean angle orientation of fibers. Local angular density distributions revealed four axially symmetric families of fibers with mean directions of 0°, 90°, 43° and -43°, with respect to the axial direction of the artery, and corresponding circular standard deviations of 40°, 47°, 37° and 37°. The distribution of local orientations was shifted to the circumferential direction when measured in arteries at the zero-load state (intact), as compared to arteries at the zero-stress state (cut-open). Information on collagen fiber waviness and orientation, such as obtained in this study, could be used to develop structural models of the adventitia, providing better means for analyzing and understanding the mechanical properties of vascular wall.