Numerical simulation of flow patterns in the entrance regions of the left and right coronary arteries

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate flow patterns in the aorta root and left and right coronary arteries. The vascular model was reconstructed from MRI obtained in vivo. The inlet section of the computational model is located above the aortic valve, where the 3D-velocity distribution was taken using phase contrast MR slices. The outflow waveforms in the coronaries were also based on phase contrast MR. The simulation results present the velocity distribution in the entrance regions of the coronaries and demonstrate the fact that the complex flow patterns in the ascending aorta affect the flow details in the coronaries.