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Original research
Computational fluid dynamics analysis of flow reduction induced by flow-diverting stents in intracranial aneurysms: a patient-unspecific hemodynamics change perspective
  1. Rafik Ouared1,
  2. Ignacio Larrabide2,
  3. Olivier Brina1,
  4. Pierre Bouillot1,
  5. Gorislav Erceg1,
  6. Hasan Yilmaz1,
  7. Karl-Olof Lovblad1,
  8. Vitor Mendes Pereira1,3,4
  1. 1Interventional Neuroradiology Unit, Service of Neuroradiology, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
  2. 2PLADEMA-CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Argentina
  3. 3Division of Neuroradiology, Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  4. 4Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Vitor Mendes Pereira, Division of Neuroradiology—Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Neurosurgery—Department of Surgery, Toronto Western Hospital—University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital—3MCL-436, 399 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 2S8; vitormpbr{at}hotmail.com

Abstract

Background and purpose Flow-diverter stents (FDSs) have been used effectively to treat large neck and complex saccular aneurysms on the anterior carotid circulation. Intra-aneurysmal flow reduction induces progressive aneurysm thrombosis in most patients. Understanding the degree of flow modification necessary to induce complete aneurysm occlusion among patients with considerable hemodynamics variability may be important for treatment planning.

Materials and methods Patients with incidental intracranial saccular aneurysms who underwent FDS endovascular procedures were included and studied for a 12 months’ follow-up period. We used computational fluid dynamics on patient-specific geometries from 3D rotational angiography without and with virtual stent placement and thus compared intra-aneurysmal hemodynamic problems. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to estimate the stent:no-stent minimum hemodynamic ratio thresholds that significantly (p≤0.05) determined the condition necessary for long-term (12 months) aneurysm occlusion.

Results We included 12 consecutive patients with sidewall aneurysms located in the internal carotid or vertebral artery. The measured porosity of the 12 deployed virtual FDSs was 83±3% (mean±SD). Nine aneurysms were occluded during the 12 months’ follow-up, whereas three were not. A significant (p=0.05) area under the curve (AUC) was found for spatiotemporal mean velocity reduction in the aneurysms: AUC=0.889±0.113 (mean±SD) corresponding to a minimum velocity reduction threshold of 0.353 for occlusion to occur. The 95% CI of the AUC was 0.66 to 1.00. The sensitivity and specificity of the method were ∼99% and ∼67%, respectively. For both wall shear stress and pressure reductions in aneurysms no thresholds could be determined: AUC=0.63±0.16 (p=0.518) and 0.67±0.165 (p=0.405), respectively.

Conclusions For successful FDS treatment the post-stent average velocity in sidewall intracranial aneurysms must be reduced by at least one-third from the initial pre-stent conditions.

  • Aneurysm
  • Blood Flow
  • Flow Diverter
  • Stent

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Footnotes

  • Contributors VMP, K-OL, HY, and GE: clinical data, treatment, follow-up visits, imaging review, and collection. RO, PB, and IL: virtual stent implantation. RO, OB, PB, IL, and VMP: computational fluid dynamics process. RO, IL, VMP. K-OL, and HY: statistical analysis and interpretation of results. All authors approved the version to be published and are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

  • Funding This study was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation grants (SNF32003B_160222 and SNF 320030_156813) and by the Mount Sinai Hospital University Health Network Association of Municipalities of Ontario innovation grant (MSH UHN AMO), Toronto, Canada. National Agency for Science and Technology Promotion (ANPCyT, Argentina) within the projects PICT 2014-1730 and PICT-2015-0006

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Data sharing statement The authors are willing to share spreadsheets from their data acquisition and experimental set-up details on request.