Computational Modeling and Analysis of Flow Diverter Stents for Cerebral Aneurysm

Cerebral aneurysm treatments have improved significantly over the years. Contrary to the past where open surgery was performed, cerebral aneurysms are now often treated using less invasive approaches. Many types of cerebral aneurysms are treated through the insertion ofaflow diverting stent which reduces the blood flow into the aneurysm, causing stasis and intra-saccular thrombosis, which reduce the chances of aneurysm rupture.Currently, device selection for endovascular embolization technique depends heavily on the expertise of clinicians. In this study we utilize computational modeling to predict the effect of flow diversion device on the flow and occlusion of cerebral aneurysms.The anatomy of our models is derived from patient-specific imaging data and a generic stent is used. The immersed boundary solver, ViCar3D, is used to solve the computational model, which yields the flow pattern and occlusion inside the cerebral aneurysm. This study provides insights on the thrombotic occlusion of flow-diverter treatments of cerebral aneurysm and represents a capability that could be used by clinicians to evaluate endovascular treatments.