CFD-Based Virtual Comparative Analysis of Treatment Efficacy for a Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injuries Case - Abstract
The clinical treatment outcomes of blunt thoracic aortic injury, the second leading cause of death in traumatic incidents, remain ambiguous even with
significant advances in imaging techniques. One of the novel non-invasive investigations utilises computational fluid dynamics, which can proficiently predict
therapeutic risk probabilities, proving beneficial for clinical applications. This study represents a virtual therapeutic investigation, assessing non-invasive and
invasive treatment methods on the specific patient with its virtual revised cases. Pressure, flow velocity, and wall shear stress indices under the two-element
Windkessel model boundary conditions were calculated in the patient’s aorta for three therapeutic applications. Furthermore, to scrutinize therapeutic effects
on different aortic locations, the patient’s vessel was examined in segments, and the numerical variations of indices were graphically represented. Results
indicate that using beta-blockers as a non-invasive treatment can control pressure adequately, delay the need for invasive treatments, and reduce the risk of
aortic damage. In contrast, the virtual surgical procedure as an invasive treatment displayed increased pressure and wall stress on the aorta, making potentially
vulnerable areas more prominent. However, the complex flow pattern was reduced with anatomical correction. A virtual study of pharmacological treatment
(beta-blocker) post-surgery was also conducted; the pressure reduction by the beta-blocker neutralised the increased wall stress from surgery and controlled
the risk in concerning areas. Analysing and comparing the results using the methodologies employed in this study can provide valuable clinical insights into
selecting therapeutic approaches for blunt thoracic aortic injuries.