Microembolic flow disturbances in the cerebral microvasculature with an arcadal network: A numerical simulation

Issue title: Selected Proceedings of the 6th Asian Congress for Mirocirculation (ACM'05) (Tokyo, February 25 and 26, 2005)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Niimi, Hideyuki | Komai, Yutaka | Yamaguchi, Saburo | Seki, Junji

Affiliations: National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita, Osaka 565-8565, Japan

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Flow disturbance due to microembolism in the cerebral microvasculature with an arcadal network was studied by a numerical simulation. A mathematical model for flow in the arcadal network was developed, based on in vivo data of cat cerebral microvasculature and flow velocity. The network model consisted of 45 vessel segments, and 25 branching points. To simulate microvascular responses to blood flow, the following three types of responses to wall shear stress were considered; non-reactive (solid-like), cerebral arteriole, and skeletal muscle arteriole-like responses. The numerical calculation was carried out in the condition where a feeding arteriole was occlused. Flow changes in efferent vessels were evaluated for assessment of blood supply to the local area of cerebral tissue. The present simulation has demonstrated that blood flow in efferent vessels was influenced by the topology of the vascular network and the response pattern in single vessels. The arcadal structure of arterioles might be most effective in response to flow disturbances in efferent vessels.

Keywords: Arcadal network, flow disturbance, cerebral microcirculation, flow-induced response, microembolism

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 34, no. 1-2, pp. 247-255, 2006