The introduction of computational models in cardiovascular sciences has been
progressively bringing new and unique tools for the investigation of the
physiopathology. Together with the dramatic improvement of imaging and
measuring devices on one side, and of computational architectures on the other
one, mathematical and numerical models have provided a new, clearly
noninvasive, approach for understanding not only basic mechanisms but also
patient-specific conditions, and for supporting the design and the development
of new therapeutic options. The terminology in silico is, nowadays, commonly
accepted for indicating this new source of knowledge added to traditional in
vitro and in vivo investigations. The advantages of in silico methodologies are
basically the low cost in terms of infrastructures and facilities, the reduced
invasiveness and, in general, the intrinsic predictive capabilities based on
the use of mathematical models. The disadvantages are generally identified in
the distance between the real cases and their virtual counterpart required by
the conceptual modeling that can be detrimental for the reliability of
numerical simulations.Comment: 54 pages, Book Chapte