MR-based, subject-specific computational fluid dynamics modeling of the vertebro-basilar system

Introduction. Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is a common cause of coronary artery bypass graft failure, and previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between IH and hemodynamic factors (e.g., wall shear stress) and used this correlation to influence graft design [e.g., 1-4]. The vertebrobasilar system is one of the few locations in the human arterial tree where two major arteries (vertebral arteries) merge into a single vessel (basilar artery). Since this is a native merge, investigating the hemodynamic features of this system in healthy subjects can be used to improve vascular graft design for ensuring graft/vessel patency. Our study uses high field MR and phase contrast MR (PCMR) to characterize vertebro-basilar system hemodynamics in a healthy, adult subject for the goal of identifying flow patterns (e.g., low wall shear stress) relevant to graft failure.