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Regional blood flow analysis and its relationship with arterial branch lengths and lumen volume in the coronary arterial tree

Sabee Molloi and Jerry T Wong

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The limitations of visually assessing coronary artery disease are well known. These limitations are particularly important in intermediate coronary lesions (30–70% diameter stenosis) where it is difficult to determine whether a particular lesion is the cause of ischaemia. Therefore, a functional measure of stenosis severity is needed. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the expected maximum coronary blood flow in an arterial tree is predictable from its sum of arterial branch lengths or lumen volume. Using a computer model of a porcine coronary artery tree, an analysis of blood flow distribution was conducted through a network of millions of vessels that included the entire coronary artery tree down to the first capillary branch. The flow simulation results show that there is a linear relationship between coronary blood flow and the sum of its arterial branch lengths. This relationship holds over the entire arterial tree. The flow simulation results also indicate that there is a \frac34 power relation between coronary blood flow (Q) and the sum of its arterial lumen volume (V). Moreover, there is a linear relationship between normalized Q and normalized V raised to a power of \frac34 over the entire arterial tree. These results indicate that measured arterial branch lengths or lumen volumes can be used to predict the expected maximum blood flow in an arterial tree. This theoretical maximum blood flow, in conjunction with an angiographically measured blood flow, can potentially be used to calculate fractional flow reserve based entirely on angiographic data.


PACS

87.19.U- Hemodynamics

87.19.X- Diseases

47.63.Jd Microcirculation and flow through tissues

87.19.Hh Cardiac dynamics

Subjects

Fluid dynamics

Medical physics

Biological physics

Dates

Issue 5 (7 March 2007)

Received 13 November 2006, in final form 9 January 2007

Published 12 February 2007



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