A Lattice Boltzmann Method for Non-Newtonian Blood Flow in Coiled Intracranial Aneurysms
This work provides a computational tool for clinicians to predict hemodynamic changes after coil embolization in intracranial aneurysms, but the validation is limited to a single comparison without quantitative metrics.
The authors developed a lattice Boltzmann method to simulate non-Newtonian blood flow in coiled intracranial aneurysms, modeling coils as an inhomogeneous porous medium. They validated the model by comparing fully-resolved and volume-averaged simulations, enabling patient-specific flow assessment for treatment planning.
Intracranial aneurysms are the leading cause of hemorrhagic stroke. One of the established treatment approaches is the embolization induced by coil insertion. However, the prediction of treatment and subsequent changed flow characteristics in the aneurysm is still an open problem. In this work, we present an approach based on a patient-specific geometry and parameters including a coil representation as inhomogeneous porous medium. The model consists of the volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for a non-Newtonian blood rheology. We solve these equations using a problem-adapted lattice Boltzmann method and present a comparison between fully-resolved and volume-averaged simulations. The results indicate the validity of the model. Overall, this workflow allows for patient specific assessment of the flow due to potential treatment.