Parametric Modeling of Blood Flow and Wall Interaction in Aortic Dissection

Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries. Practically, they are so widespread that it is increasingly difficult to find the part of the planet where the population is protected from these diseases. Aortic dissection is a serious medical condition in which the inner layer of the aortic wall ruptures. Then, the blood rushes through the cleft, leading to stratification (dissection) of the inner and middle layers of the aortic wall. If the blood penetrates the outer layer of the wall, aortic dissection is often fatal. Aortic dissection is characterized by stratification of the aortic wall, which begins with a small crack in the intimate layer and results in filling of the media space with blood, thus creating another lumen – false lumen. The development and progression of aortic dissection is associated with several of the most important risk factors, such as hypertension, genetic factors, gender, and age. In this chapter, continuum mechanics is applied for the analysis of aortic dissection and appropriate models of fluid flow in a healthy aorta and through aortic dissection. A parametric model of a healthy aorta was developed, and then three typical types of aortic dissection were made by computer manipulation. The theoretical basis of the work is the basic fluid mechanics and deformable body mechanics. The basic method used in the paper is the finite element method.