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Garzia S, Scarpolini MA, Mazzoli M, Capellini K, Monteleone A, Cademartiri F, Positano V, Celi S. Coupling synthetic and real-world data for a deep learning-based segmentation process of 4D flow MRI. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 242:107790. [PMID: 37708583 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow MRI) is an imaging technique able to provide blood velocity in vivo and morphological information. This capability has been used to study mainly the hemodynamics of large vessels, such as the thoracic aorta. However, the segmentation of 4D flow MRI data is a complex and time-consuming task. In recent years, neural networks have shown great accuracy in segmentation tasks if large datasets are provided. Unfortunately, in the context of 4D flow MRI, the availability of these data is limited due to its recent adoption in clinical settings. In this study, we propose a pipeline for generating synthetic thoracic aorta phase contrast magnetic resonance angiography (PCMRA) to expand the limited dataset of patient-specific PCMRA images, ultimately improving the accuracy of the neural network segmentation even with a small real dataset. METHODS The pipeline involves several steps. First, a statistical shape model is used to synthesize new artificial geometries to improve data numerosity and variability. Secondly, computational fluid dynamics simulations are employed to simulate the velocity fields and, finally, after a downsampling and a signal-to-noise and velocity limit adjustment in both frequency and spatial domains, volumes are obtained using the PCMRA formula. These synthesized volumes are used in combination with real-world data to train a 3D U-Net neural network. Different settings of real and synthetic data are tested. RESULTS Incorporating synthetic data into the training set significantly improved the segmentation performance compared to using only real data. The experiments with synthetic data achieved a DICE score (DS) value of 0.83 and a better target reconstruction with respect to the case with only real data (DS = 0.65). CONCLUSION The proposed pipeline demonstrated the ability to increase the dataset in terms of numerosity and variability and to improve the segmentation accuracy for the thoracic aorta using PCMRA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Garzia
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, Massa, 54100, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Via Caruso, Pisa, 56122, Italy
| | - Martino Andrea Scarpolini
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, Massa, 54100, Italy; Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via del Politecnico, Roma, 00133, Italy
| | - Marilena Mazzoli
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, Massa, 54100, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Via Caruso, Pisa, 56122, Italy
| | - Katia Capellini
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, Massa, 54100, Italy
| | - Angelo Monteleone
- Department of Radiology, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Moruzzi, Pisa, 56122, Italy
| | - Filippo Cademartiri
- Department of Radiology, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Moruzzi, Pisa, 56122, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Positano
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, Massa, 54100, Italy
| | - Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, Massa, 54100, Italy.
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Gasparotti E, Vignali E, Quartieri S, Lazzeri R, Celi S. Numerical investigation on circular and elliptical bulge tests for inverse soft tissue characterization. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2023; 22:1697-1707. [PMID: 37405537 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01730-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The acquisition of insights concerning the mechanobiology of aneurysmatic aortic tissues is an important field of investigation. The complete characterization of aneurysm mechanical behaviour can be carried out by biaxial experimental tests on ex vivo specimens. In literature, several works proposed bulge inflation tests as a valid method to analyse aneurysmatic tissue. Bulge test data processing requires the adoption of digital image correlation and inverse analysis approaches to estimate strain and stress distributions, respectively. In this context, however, the accuracy of inverse analysis method has not been evaluated yet. This aspect appears particularly interesting given the anisotropic behaviour of the soft tissue and the possibility to adopt different die geometries. The goal of this study is to provide an accuracy characterization of the inverse analysis applied to the bulge test technique using a numerical approach. In particular, different cases of bulge inflation were simulated in a finite element environment as a reference. To investigate the effect of tissue anisotropic degree and bulge die geometries (circular and elliptical), different input parameters were considered to obtain multiple test cases. The specimen deformed shapes, resulting from the reference finite element simulations, were then analysed through an inverse analysis approach to produce an estimation of stress distributions. The estimated stresses were, at last, compared with the values from the reference finite element simulations. The results demonstrated that the circular die geometry produces a satisfactory estimation accuracy only under certain conditions of material quasi-isotropy. On the other hand, the choice of an elliptical bulge die was proven to be more suitable for the analysis of anisotropic tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Gasparotti
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit, Heart Hospital, Fondazione CNR - Regione Toscana G. Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, 54100, Massa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Vignali
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit, Heart Hospital, Fondazione CNR - Regione Toscana G. Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, 54100, Massa, Italy
| | - Stefano Quartieri
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit, Heart Hospital, Fondazione CNR - Regione Toscana G. Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, 54100, Massa, Italy
- Civil and Industrial Engineering Department, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino, 2, 56122, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberta Lazzeri
- Civil and Industrial Engineering Department, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino, 2, 56122, Pisa, Italy
| | - Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit, Heart Hospital, Fondazione CNR - Regione Toscana G. Monasterio, Via Aurelia Sud, 54100, Massa, Italy.
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Antonuccio MN, Gasparotti E, Bardi F, Monteleone A, This A, Rouet L, Avril S, Celi S. Fabrication of deformable patient-specific AAA models by material casting techniques. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1141623. [PMID: 37753165 PMCID: PMC10518418 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1141623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a balloon-like dilatation that can be life-threatening if not treated. Fabricating patient-specific AAA models can be beneficial for in-vitro investigations of hemodynamics, as well as for pre-surgical planning and training, testing the effectiveness of different interventions, or developing new surgical procedures. The current direct additive manufacturing techniques cannot simultaneously ensure the flexibility and transparency of models required by some applications. Therefore, casting techniques are presented to overcome these limitations and make the manufactured models suitable for in-vitro hemodynamic investigations, such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements or medical imaging. Methods Two complex patient-specific AAA geometries were considered, and the related 3D models were fabricated through material casting. In particular, two casting approaches, i.e. lost molds and lost core casting, were investigated and tested to manufacture the deformable AAA models. The manufactured models were acquired by magnetic resonance, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound imaging, and PIV. In particular, CT scans were segmented to generate a volumetric reconstruction for each manufactured model that was compared to a reference model to assess the accuracy of the manufacturing process. Results Both lost molds and lost core casting techniques were successful in the manufacturing of the models. The lost molds casting allowed a high-level surface finish in the final 3D model. In this first case, the average signed distance between the manufactured model and the reference was (- 0.2 ± 0.2 ) mm. However, this approach was more expensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, the lost core casting was more affordable and allowed the reuse of the external molds to fabricate multiple copies of the same AAA model. In this second case, the average signed distance between the manufactured model and the reference was (0.1 ± 0.6 ) mm. However, the final model's surface finish quality was poorer compared to the model obtained by lost molds casting as the sealing of the outer molds was not as firm as the other casting technique. Conclusions Both lost molds and lost core casting techniques can be used for manufacturing patient-specific deformable AAA models suitable for hemodynamic investigations, including medical imaging and PIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Nicole Antonuccio
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit - Heart Hospital, Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy
- Philips Research Paris, Suresnes, France
- Mines Saint-Étienne, Université Jean Monnet, INSERM, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Emanuele Gasparotti
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit - Heart Hospital, Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy
| | - Francesco Bardi
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit - Heart Hospital, Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy
- Mines Saint-Étienne, Université Jean Monnet, INSERM, Saint-Étienne, France
- Predisurge, Grande Usine Creative 2, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Angelo Monteleone
- Department of Radiology, Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy
| | | | | | - Stéphane Avril
- Mines Saint-Étienne, Université Jean Monnet, INSERM, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit - Heart Hospital, Fondazione Toscana “G. Monasterio”, Massa, Italy
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Uncertainty Quantification in the In Vivo Image-Based Estimation of Local Elastic Properties of Vascular Walls. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2023; 10:jcdd10030109. [PMID: 36975873 PMCID: PMC10058982 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd10030109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Patient-specific computational models are a powerful tool for planning cardiovascular interventions. However, the in vivo patient-specific mechanical properties of vessels represent a major source of uncertainty. In this study, we investigated the effect of uncertainty in the elastic module (E) on a Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) model of a patient-specific aorta. Methods: The image-based χ-method was used to compute the initial E value of the vascular wall. The uncertainty quantification was carried out using the generalized Polynomial Chaos (gPC) expansion technique. The stochastic analysis was based on four deterministic simulations considering four quadrature points. A deviation of about ±20% on the estimation of the E value was assumed. Results: The influence of the uncertain E parameter was evaluated along the cardiac cycle on area and flow variations extracted from five cross-sections of the aortic FSI model. Results of stochastic analysis showed the impact of E in the ascending aorta while an insignificant effect was observed in the descending tract. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the importance of the image-based methodology for inferring E, highlighting the feasibility of retrieving useful additional data and enhancing the reliability of in silico models in clinical practice.
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Celi S, Gasparotti E, Capellini K, Bardi F, Scarpolini MA, Cavaliere C, Cademartiri F, Vignali E. An image-based approach for the estimation of arterial local stiffness in vivo. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1096196. [PMID: 36793441 PMCID: PMC9923115 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1096196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The analysis of mechanobiology of arterial tissues remains an important topic of research for cardiovascular pathologies evaluation. In the current state of the art, the gold standard to characterize the tissue mechanical behavior is represented by experimental tests, requiring the harvesting of ex-vivo specimens. In recent years though, image-based techniques for the in vivo estimation of arterial tissue stiffness were presented. The aim of this study is to define a new approach to provide local distribution of arterial stiffness, estimated as the linearized Young's Modulus, based on the knowledge of in vivo patient-specific imaging data. In particular, the strain and stress are estimated with sectional contour length ratios and a Laplace hypothesis/inverse engineering approach, respectively, and then used to calculate the Young's Modulus. After describing the method, this was validated by using a set of Finite Element simulations as input. In particular, idealized cylinder and elbow shapes plus a single patient-specific geometry were simulated. Different stiffness distributions were tested for the simulated patient-specific case. After the validation from Finite Element data, the method was then applied to patient-specific ECG-gated Computed Tomography data by also introducing a mesh morphing approach to map the aortic surface along the cardiac phases. The validation process revealed satisfactory results. In the simulated patient-specific case, root mean square percentage errors below 10% for the homogeneous distribution and below 20% for proximal/distal distribution of stiffness. The method was then successfully used on the three ECG-gated patient-specific cases. The resulting distributions of stiffness exhibited significant heterogeneity, nevertheless the resulting Young's moduli were always contained within the 1-3 MPa range, which is in line with literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Massa, Italy,*Correspondence: Simona Celi,
| | - Emanuele Gasparotti
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Katia Capellini
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Francesco Bardi
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Massa, Italy,Mines Saint-Etienne, Universit’e de Lyon, INSERM, SaInBioSE U1059, Lyon, France
| | - Martino Andrea Scarpolini
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Massa, Italy,Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università “Tor Vergata”, Roma, Italy
| | | | | | - Emanuele Vignali
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana G Monasterio, Massa, Italy
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Capelli C, Bertolini M, Schievano S. 3D-printed and computational models: a combined approach for patient-specific studies. 3D Print Med 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-89831-7.00011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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Introduction of a Novel Image-Based and Non-Invasive Method for the Estimation of Local Elastic Properties of Great Vessels. ELECTRONICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/electronics11132055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: In the context of a growing demand for the use of in silico models to meet clinical requests, image-based methods play a crucial role. In this study, we present a parametric equation able to estimate the elasticity of vessel walls, non-invasively and indirectly, from information uniquely retrievable from imaging. Methods: A custom equation was iteratively refined and tuned from the simulations of a wide range of different vessel models, leading to the definition of an indirect method able to estimate the elastic modulus E of a vessel wall. To test the effectiveness of the predictive capability to infer the E value, two models with increasing complexity were used: a U-shaped vessel and a patient-specific aorta. Results: The original formulation was demonstrated to deviate from the ground truth, with a difference of 89.6%. However, the adoption of our proposed equation was found to significantly increase the reliability of the estimated E value for a vessel wall, with a mean percentage error of 9.3% with respect to the reference values. Conclusion: This study provides a strong basis for the definition of a method able to estimate local mechanical information of vessels from data easily retrievable from imaging, thus potentially increasing the reliability of in silico cardiovascular models.
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The Hemodynamic Effect of Modified Blalock–Taussig Shunt Morphologies: A Computational Analysis Based on Reduced Order Modeling. ELECTRONICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/electronics11131930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The Modified Blalock Taussig Shunt (MBTS) is one of the most common palliative operations in case of cyanotic heart diseases. Thus far, the decision on the position, size, and geometry of the implant relies on clinicians’ experience. In this paper, a Medical Digital Twin pipeline based on reduced order modeling is presented for fast and interactive evaluation of the hemodynamic parameters of MBTS. An infant case affected by complete pulmonary atresia was selected for this study. A three-dimensional digital model of the infant’s MBTS morphology was generated. A wide spectrum of MBTS geometries was explored by introducing twelve Radial Basis Function mesh modifiers. The combination of these modifiers allowed for analysis of various MBTS shapes. The final results proved the potential of the proposed approach for the investigation of significant hemodynamic features such as velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress as a function of the shunt’s morphology in real-time. In particular, it was demonstrated that the modifications of the MBTS morphology had a profound effect on the hemodynamic indices. The adoption of reduced models turned out to be a promising path to follow for MBTS numerical evaluation, with the potential to support patient-specific preoperative planning.
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Celi S, Vignali E, Capellini K, Gasparotti E. On the Role and Effects of Uncertainties in Cardiovascular in silico Analyses. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2022; 3:748908. [PMID: 35047960 PMCID: PMC8757785 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2021.748908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The assessment of cardiovascular hemodynamics with computational techniques is establishing its fundamental contribution within the world of modern clinics. Great research interest was focused on the aortic vessel. The study of aortic flow, pressure, and stresses is at the basis of the understanding of complex pathologies such as aneurysms. Nevertheless, the computational approaches are still affected by sources of errors and uncertainties. These phenomena occur at different levels of the computational analysis, and they also strongly depend on the type of approach adopted. With the current study, the effect of error sources was characterized for an aortic case. In particular, the geometry of a patient-specific aorta structure was segmented at different phases of a cardiac cycle to be adopted in a computational analysis. Different levels of surface smoothing were imposed to define their influence on the numerical results. After this, three different simulation methods were imposed on the same geometry: a rigid wall computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a moving-wall CFD based on radial basis functions (RBF) CFD, and a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation. The differences of the implemented methods were defined in terms of wall shear stress (WSS) analysis. In particular, for all the cases reported, the systolic WSS and the time-averaged WSS (TAWSS) were defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Vignali
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Katia Capellini
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy.,Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Gasparotti
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy.,Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Vignali E, Gasparotti E, Celi S, Avril S. Fully-Coupled FSI Computational Analyses in the Ascending Thoracic Aorta Using Patient-Specific Conditions and Anisotropic Material Properties. Front Physiol 2021; 12:732561. [PMID: 34744774 PMCID: PMC8564074 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.732561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational hemodynamics has become increasingly important within the context of precision medicine, providing major insight in cardiovascular pathologies. However, finding appropriate compromise between speed and accuracy remains challenging in computational hemodynamics for an extensive use in decision making. For example, in the ascending thoracic aorta, interactions between the blood and the aortic wall must be taken into account for the sake of accuracy, but these fluid structure interactions (FSI) induce significant computational costs, especially when the tissue exhibits a hyperelastic and anisotropic response. The objective of the current study is to use the Small On Large (SOL) theory to linearize the anisotropic hyperelastic behavior in order to propose a reduced-order model for FSI simulations of the aorta. The SOL method is tested for fully-coupled FSI simulations in a patient-specific aortic geometry presenting an Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (aTAA). The same model is also simulated with a fully-coupled FSI with non-linear material behavior, without SOL linearization. Eventually, the results and computational times with and without the SOL are compared. The SOL approach is demonstrated to provide a significant reduction of computational costs for FSI analysis in the aTAA, and the results in terms of stress state distribution are comparable. The method is implemented in ANSYS and will be further evaluated for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Vignali
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Gasparotti
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, UOC Bioingegneria, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy
| | - Stéphane Avril
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université de Lyon, INSERM, SaInBioSE U1059, Saint-Étienne, France
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Leone A, Landini L. Modifying Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Bases to Improve Diagnostic and Instrumental Approaches. Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:1869-1870. [PMID: 34259132 DOI: 10.2174/138161282716210430081537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Capellini K, Gasparotti E, Cella U, Costa E, Fanni BM, Groth C, Porziani S, Biancolini ME, Celi S. A novel formulation for the study of the ascending aortic fluid dynamics with in vivo data. Med Eng Phys 2020; 91:68-78. [PMID: 33008714 DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2020.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Numerical simulations to evaluate thoracic aortic hemodynamics include a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach or fluid-structure interaction (FSI) approach. While CFD neglects the arterial deformation along the cardiac cycle by applying a rigid wall simplification, on the other side the FSI simulation requires a lot of assumptions for the material properties definition and high computational costs. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a new strategy, based on Radial Basis Functions (RBF) mesh morphing technique and transient simulations, able to introduce the patient-specific changes in aortic geometry during the cardiac cycle. Starting from medical images, aorta models at different phases of cardiac cycle were reconstructed and a transient shape deformation was obtained by proper activating incremental RBF solutions during the simulation process. The results, in terms of main hemodynamic parameters, were compared with two performed CFD simulations for the aortic model at minimum and maximum volume. Our implemented strategy copes the actual arterial variation during cardiac cycle with high accuracy, capturing the impact of geometrical variations on fluid dynamics, overcoming the complexity of a standard FSI approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Capellini
- BioCardioLab, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Gasparotti
- BioCardioLab, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ubaldo Cella
- Department of Enterprise Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Benigno Marco Fanni
- BioCardioLab, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Corrado Groth
- Department of Enterprise Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Porziani
- Department of Enterprise Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Simona Celi
- BioCardioLab, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy.
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