Investigation of flow in the models of intracranial lateral aneurysms by particle image velocimetry

Cranial aneurysms are known to cause cerebral hematoma or hemorrhage by rupture. Hemodynamic forces can significantly contribute to the rupture of an aneurysm and measurements of flow velocities in the vicinity of an aneurysm may help predict the causes of an aneurysmal rupture. The authors developed a 2-D particle image velocimetry system to find the velocities in-vitro in glass models of lateral aneurysms. Seven models of different shape and ostium widths were tested in the experiments. Reynolds numbers of 100, 400 and 700 were considered in order to characterize the flow of blood in cranial arteries. Results suggest that rupture in the dome area is possible due to the high shear values and (or) the impact of the flowing blood on the walls of aneurysma. Results also indicate that ostium widths, the presence of a neck and the shape of the aneurysm play an important role in directing the fluid into the aneurysmal area.