Effects of Nonuniform Vessel Wall Properties in Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations

Aneurysms are a disease that plagues mankind. Clinicians are in a difficult position when trying to gauge what action, if any, needs to be taken after a patient is found to have an aneurysm. Increasingly, doctors rely on computer simulations to determine the transient 3-D hemodynamics within the aneurysm sac. Specifically, ongoing research is being conducted to characterize aneurysms in order to develop criteria which predict high-risk factors leading to aneurysm rupture, using patient-specific geometries [1–4].