The Relationship Between the Arterial Geometry and Wall Shear Stress in the Vertebrobasilar System

Abstract

Vertebrobasilar atherosclerosis is an arterial disease; without successful treatment, it has a mortality rate approximately 80%–95%. Thus, predicting risk factors of vertebrobasilar atherosclerosis is of utmost importance. Previous studies have demonstrated that wall shear stress (WSS) contributes to atherosclerosis. In addition, geometry and WSS are correlated. The present study focuses on the description of equation using detailed relationship between arterial geometry and WSS in the vertebrobasilar system (VBS); magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used for the analysis. Using constructed patient-specific models, WSS of basilar arteries (BAs) was calculated and then analyzed with morphological parameters. According to the statistical results, both the area and curvature of BAs are associated with WSS. Based on the relations, a liner fitted equation can be proposed. As this study is underway, more precise evaluation of the correlation between morphology and fluid shear stress could help predict risk factors and select treatment methods for this arterial disease.