Study of Flow Phenomena in Aortic Dissection

Predict the evolution of the rupture in Chronic Aortic Dissection poses a cardiovascular challenge. Several parameters must be studied to determinate this evolution, in any cases is demonstrated that dilatation is triggered by fluid-dynamic parameters (intra-luminal pressure and wall shear stresses) and physiological vessel wall properties, but these hemodynamic factors are really important in the final evolution of the aortic dissection. In order to improve the behaviour and the development of different cases of chronic dissection, is needed a better understanding of pressure and velocity influence on the false lumen (FL) and true lumen(TL) of the vessel, including the study of different scenarios of entry and exit tears. For this reason, we have performed FEM analysis in a typical aortic dissection, closely resembling clinical practice (Stanford B or Type III DeBakey dissection). The aortic dissection was created with a FL had double diameter of the TL. Different entry and exit tear configurations were studied: only entry, only exit and equally sized entry and exit tears. A 3D computational fluid dynamics simulation (using the GID software environment) of the cardiac cycle was performed. Velocity, Shear Stress and pressure profiles were analyzed in the TL and FL and all along the geometry with GiD tools.