Using computer tomography angiography (CTA) and computational structural analysis, we present a non-invasive method of mass flow rate/velocity and wall stress analysis in type B aortic dissection. Three-dimensional (3D) computer models of the aorta were calculated using pre-operative (baseline) and post-operative CT data from 12 male patients (aged from 51 to 64 years) who were treated for acute type B dissection. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was used to quantify the displacement forces acting on the aortic wall in the areas of endografts placement. The mass flow rate and wall stress were measured and quantified using the CFD technique. The CFD model indicated the places with a lower value of blood velocity and shear rate, which corelated with higher blood viscosity and a probability of thrombus appearance. Moreover, with the increase in Hct, blood viscosity also increased, while the intensity of blood flow provoked changing viscosity values in these areas. Furthermore, the velocity gradient near the tear surface caused high wall WSS; this could lead to a decreased resistance in the aorta's wall with further implications to a patient.
Keywords: CFD; TEVAR; aortic dissection; blood flow reconstruction; medical image processing.