Vascular Dynamics of a Shape Memory Polymer Foam Aneurysm Treatment Technique

The vascular dynamics of a shape memory polymer foam aneurysm treatment technique are assessed through the simulated treatment of a generic basilar aneurysm using coupled fluid dynamics and heat transfer calculations. The shape memory polymer foam, which expands to fill the aneurysm when heated, is modeled at three discrete stages of the treatment procedure. To estimate an upper bound for the maximum amount of thermal damage due to foam heating, a steady velocity is specified through the basilar artery, corresponding to a minimum physiological flow velocity over a cardiac cycle. During expansion, the foam alters the flow patterns within the aneurysm by shielding the aneurysm dome from a confined jet that issues from the basilar artery. The time scales for thermal damage to the artery walls and surrounding blood flow are computed from the temperature field. The flow through the post-treatment bifurcation is comprised of two counter-rotating vortex tubes that are located beneath the aneurysm neck and extend downstream into the outlet arteries. Beneath the aneurysm neck, a marked increase in the wall shear stress is observed due to the close proximity of the counter-rotating vortex tubes to the artery wall.