Correlation between geometric parameters of the left coronary artery and hemodynamic descriptors of atherosclerosis: FSI and statistical study

The hemodynamics conditioned by coronary geometry may play an important role in the creation of a pro-atherogenic environment in specific locations of the coronary tree. The aim of this study is to identify how several geometric parameters of the left coronary artery – cross-section areas, proximal left anterior descending artery length, angles between the branches and the septum, curvature and tortuosity – can be related with hemodynamic descriptors, using a computational fluid–structure interaction method. It is widely accepted that the hemodynamic indicators play an important role in identifying possible pro-atherogenic locations. A statistical study, using Pearson correlation coefficient and P value, was performed for a population study of 8 normal human left coronary arteries presenting right-dominant circulation. Within the study cases, arteries with high caliber ( r = 0.88), high angles LMS-LAD ( r = 0.49), LAD-LCx ( r = 0.57) and LAD-Septum ( r = 0.52), and high tortuosity LMS-LCx ( r = 0.63) were correlated with a hemodynamic behavior propitious to plaque formation in the left anterior descending artery. In contrast, high proximal left anterior descending artery length ( r = −0.41), high angle LMS-LCx ( r = −0.59), high tortuosity LMS-LAD ( r = −0.56) and LAD-LCx ( r = −0.55) and high curvature of LMS ( r = −0.60) and LCx ( r = −0.56) can lead to non-favorable hemodynamic conditions for atheroma formation. Graphical abstract