Fluid Dynamic Study on Budd-Chiari Syndrome: Sensitivity Study of Vessel Reconstruction on Image-Based Simulation

Abstract

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a symptomatic complete or partial occlusion of the hepatic vein and/or the inferior vena cava. The cause of BCS is not well known yet, however; abnormal vessel wall shear stress caused by blood flow is thought to increase the likelihood of developing BCS. We investigate the blood flow field in the vicinity of the junction of the inferior vena cava and hepatic veins by using numerical simulation based on medical imaging. However, there exist inaccuracies in computational vessel models. The sensitivities of flow characteristics to vessel shape have not been fully investigated. In this study, the characteristics of the blood flow in the vicinity of the junction of the hepatic vein and the inferior vena cava are discussed based on the numerical results obtained by several reconstructed vessel models which are slightly different in shapes and surface smoothness. It is also demonstrated that relatively small differences in the shapes and surface smoothness of the reconstructed vessel model cause noticeable effects on the flow characteristics in the vicinity of the junction of the inferior vena cava and large hepatic veins.

Keywords

• budd-chiari syndrome
• blood flow
• image-based simulation
• vessel reconstruction
• computational fluid dynamics