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

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2019

Authors

Carlos Alberto Conceição António (Author) FEUP; Nelson Pinho (Author) FEUP; Catarina Castro (Author) FEUP; Nuno Bettencourt (Author) Other; Luísa Costa Sousa (Author) FEUP; Sónia Pinto (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing

Vol. 57 No. 3

Pages: 715-729

ISSN: 0140-0118

Publisher: Springer

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 35 Citations

Scopus - 41 Citations

INSPEC

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00P-VMZ

DOI: 10.1007/s11517-018-1904-2

Abstract (EN): 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.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15