Investigation of blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery and its potential influence on atheroma and gut ischaemia.

Atherosclerosis is the underlying process in coronary heart disease leading to myocardial infarction, and in arterial damage leading to cerebrovascular accidents. It accounts for almost 50% of deaths in the western world. Atherosclerosis is characterised by the presence of fibro-lipid plaques (atheroma) within the vessel wall. Whilst the initiation and progression of atheroma are not fully understood, it is generally accepted that the time-varying haemodynamic wall shear stress (WSS) that the vessel wall is exposed to is important in determining the likelihood of development of an atherosclerotic plaque The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is the major blood vessel feeding the small intestine; compared to other vessels of similar size, it is largely spared the effects of atherosclerosis

Simulations of time harmonic blood flow in the Mesenteric artery: comparing finite element and lattice Boltzmann methods

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systolic blood flow has been simulated in the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. The simulations were carried out using two different computational hemodynamic methods: the finite element method to solve the Navier Stokes equations and the lattice Boltzmann method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have validated the lattice Boltzmann method for systolic flows by comparing the velocity and pressure profiles of simulated blood flow between methods. We have also analyzed flow-specific characteristics such as the formation of a vortex at curvatures and traces of flow.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The lattice Boltzmann Method is as accurate as a Navier Stokes solver for computing complex blood flows. As such it is a good alternative for computational hemodynamics, certainly in situation where coupling to other models is required.</p