Cyclic variation of three-dimensional geometry of the rat carotid artery bifurcation assessed by high-frequency ultrasound imaging

The computational simulation of the interaction between blood flow and arterial wall motion during a cardiac cycle is complicated and requires high quality information of the vessel wall motion in space and time. In this study, a set of cross-sectional ultrasound images was acquired using an electrocardiogram-gated kilohertz visualization mode, which provides 1000 frame images per second, by an ultrasound imaging system (Vevo 770, VisualSonics, Canada) with a probe of 40-MHz central frequency (RMV 704). The three dimensional (3D) geometry of carotid artery bifurcation was reconstructed at systolic and diastolic phases during a cardiac cycle using the cross-sectional ultrasound images, and a block meshing method was applied to the reconstructed 3D geometry. Then, an appropriate hexahedral mesh was constructed for the computational simulation. The 3D geometry measured by high-frequency ultrasound imaging provides high temporal and spatial information on the vessel wall motion during a cardiac cycle, which is important for accurate computational simulation of hemodynamics in the bifurcation area of the carotid artery. The fluid-structure interaction simulation of blood flow in the carotid artery bifurcation during a cardiac cycle is in progress using the meshes of 3D geometry of vessel wall. [Work supported by NIPA-2013-H0401-13-1007 and 2013R1A1A2043478.]