Assessing Hemodynamic Changes in Cerebral Aneurysms Post Coil Embolization: A Preliminary Investigation

Abstract

A cerebral aneurysm is a weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel within the brain that causes the vessel to bulge outwards. The choice of treatment depends on various factors including the size and location of the aneurysm and the risk of rupture, and should be tailored to individual situations rather than following a universal approach due to their variability among individuals. This approach provides the possibility of choosing precise treatment plans that are proper for each patient’s circumstances. The utilization of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) allows for the prediction of after-surgery hemodynamic changes before any surgical approach. The goal of this research was to investigate the flow characteristics and hemodynamic parameters in cerebral arteries before and after endovascular embolization treatments using CFD in three patient-specific geometries with at least one aneurysm at the middle cerebral artery’s bifurcation. To model the coiling, the computational domain was divided into two fluid domains, a general fluid domain consisting of the parent arteries and a porous domain inside the aneurysm. CFD modeling was conducted to simulate blood flow in pre- and postcoiling scenarios. Results showed that the coiling model with different porosity values led to a redirection of blood flow away from the aneurysm sac. Additionally, changes in shear stress indicated potential alterations in susceptibility to vascular remodeling. In conclusion, these findings indicated that utilizing CFD modeling for simulating blood flow in patient-specific cerebral arteries could be utilized to predict hemodynamic parameters before any treatment.