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Blood flow in veins and arteries
The application of CFD to model physiological flow is a new and developing area. The benefits of numerical modelling of blood flow in veins and arteries may lead to the prediction of conditions such as aneurysm, thrombosis and rupture of arterio veinous malformations. Aneurysms are bulbous swellings of a vein or artery that can burst and cause potentially fatal haemorrhage. Treatment of aneurysms is a very delicate process and as the flow of blood depends on the unique geometry of an individual’s vessels, it is difficult to predict how an individual will respond to treatment. Sophisticated blood vessel imaging techniques are now available and together with accurate CFD models will make an invaluable tool to predict the onset and development of aneurysms and how they will respond to treatment. However, current CFD capability is limited by fundamental difficulties such as the coupling of the flexible wall with the internal flow and the elastic properties of the vessel walls being nonlinear.
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| Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering