Numerical modeling assisting in surgical treatment of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in children

Abstract

Objective To develop a model using patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to predict the required anastomotic size for total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) surgery and to forecast surgical outcomes.Methods Based on clinical data from patients, a CFD model was used to simulate the anastomosis between pulmonary venous confluence and the left atrium. Blood flow velocity, wall shear stress, power loss, and pressure were calculated using numerical algorithms within the model. Various sizes of anastomosis were applied during the simulation. The energy dissipation at the anastomosis was computed from the results and compared with real-world data.Results As the simulated anastomotic size increased, blood flow velocity, pulmonary venous pressure, and energy loss decreased. However, when the anastomotic size exceeded 18 mm, the efficiency of energy conversion no longer improved. The realistic and simulated velocities matched well for anastomosis sizes ranging from 15 to 20 mm.Conclusion The model can assist surgeons in preoperative planning for determining the anastomotic size in TAPVC surgical treatment.