Flow diverters as a technique to balance the flow in bifurcation branches in a stenosed coronary artery

Abstract

Owing to the intricate hemodynamic circumstances and local flow disruptions that are prevalent, coronary bifurcations are among the most often damaged sites by atherosclerosis. The present research is intended to discover a novel way to save the coronary branches from undergoing further deterioration due to the existing stenosis along the branches of the bifurcation, to prevent vascular diseases and further complications. Cylindrical elastic biodegradable flow diverters of uniform radius are deployed in the flow channel near the entry of the bifurcation region. Employing finite element methods, fluid dynamics equations and structural equations are solved. Although flow diverters have historically been employed for managing aneurysms by encouraging thrombosis, the current work presents a novel use of flow diverters to reduce the risk of stenosis by balancing hemodynamic asymmetry. It is found that the butterfly effect of flow distribution and sliding flows perfectly balances the flow between the coronary branches. The difference in the total shear force along the walls due to the installed diverters is found to be in the range of ${10}^{-1}N/m$. The highest strain experienced by the arterial walls ranges from $4\times {10}^{-4}$ to $1\times {10}^{-3}$ as the number of flow diverters is increased. A $0.04\%$to $0.3\%$ elongation or compression of the arterial wall is seen as the diverters were installed. This deformation is very small to impact the arterial tissue, as a stent-induced strain is considered safe if maintained below 10%. The results concluded that the inclusion of flow diverters does not affect the mechanical indicators.