Notice and Invitation

Oral Presentation of Dissertation Proposal
Department of Bioengineering, George Mason University 

Sara Hadad

BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, 2012

MSc in Mechanical Engineering – Energy Conversion, Isfahan University of Technology, 2015

ANALYSIS OF FLOW DIVERSION TREATMENT AND FLOW EFFECTS IN CEREBRAL ANEURYSMS

Friday, February 05, 20212 at 2:30 pm

Via Zoom

All are invited to attend. 

Committee
Dr. Juan Cebral, Dissertation Director

Dr. Qi Wei, Committee Chair

Dr. Fernando Mut

Dr. Rainald Lohner

Abstract:

A cerebral aneurysm (CA) is a pathological enlargement of a weakened arterial brain wall. The prevalence of CA is 2% to 5% among the adult population. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to the aneurysm rupture is associated with high mortality and disability rates. Physicians face a challenge when deciding whether to treat the patient or to conservatively monitor the aneurysm. They need to weigh the natural rupture risk against the treatment risks. In this dissertation proposal, delayed intraparenchymal hemorrhage (DIPH) – one of the complications of aneurysm treatment with flow diverters – and the blood flow effects in CAs have been studied.

Although aneurysm treatments are improving, they still have a high rate of complications. This work has been investigated a possible mechanism for DIPH after deployment of flow diverter by a computational model of the brain arterial network. Also, some aneurysms remain patent after treatment with flow diverters and therefore they are in danger of rupture. Thus, it is essential to identify which aneurysms occlude quickly after treatment with flow diverters. In this proposed work, the power of CFD in predicting the outcomes of flow diverters has been evaluated by comparing the CFD results with experimental results.

Because of aneurysm treatment complications, it is important to understand the mechanisms of growth and rupture of cerebral aneurysms to identify high-risk aneurysms for surgical or endovascular treatments. Studying the effect of the blood flow in the CA helps to understand these mechanisms. In this work, three approaches have been used to study the flow effects in the aneurysm. In the first approach, high-resolution vessel wall imaging has been used to segment aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) and then hemodynamic parameters of AWE regions have been calculated through CFD simulations. In the second approach, the CFD model of aneurysms, which have been monitored over time and categorized into four groups, is used to compare their hemodynamic environments. The last approach is based on the transport of different species through the arteries. All these studies will help us better understand the mechanisms of aneurysm progress and rupture.