A fluid-structure interaction study using patient-specific ruptured and unruptured aneurysm : the effect of aneurysm morphology, hypertension and elasticity

Fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations using five patient-specific aneurysm geometries are carried out to investigate the difference between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Two different blood pressure conditions (normal and hypertension, for all cases), and two different values of elastic modulus (1 and 2 MPa, for two cases) are tested. Ruptured aneurysms (RA) generally displayed larger displacement at the dome, lower area–average WSS and higher von Mises stress than unruptured aneurysms (URA) regardless of elasticity or blood pressure condition. RAs had a longitudinal expansion whereas URAs had a radial expansion, which was the key difference between the two types. The difference in expansion pattern may be one of the keys to explaining aneurysm rupture, and further analysis is required in the future to confirm this theory.