Determination of wall tension in cerebral artery aneurysms by numerical simulation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cerebral artery aneurysms rupture when wall tension exceeds the strength of the wall tissue. At present, risk-assessment of unruptured aneurysms does not include evaluation of the lesions shape, yet clinical experience suggests that this is of importance. We aimed to develop a computational model for simulation of fluid-structure interaction in cerebral aneurysms based on patient specific lesion geometry, with special emphasis on wall tension. METHODS An advanced isogeometric fluid-structure analysis model incorporating flexible aneurysm wall based on patient specific computed tomography angiogram images was developed. Variables used in the simulation model were retrieved from a literature review. RESULTS The simulation results exposed areas of high wall tension and wall displacement located where aneurysms usually rupture. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that analyzing wall tension and wall displacement in cerebral aneurysms by numeric simulation could be developed into a novel method for individualized prediction of rupture risk.