Simulation Study on Blood Flow Mechanism of Vein in Existence of Different Thrombus Size

Abstract

Blood velocity is expected to be as a parameter for detecting abnormality of blood such as the existence of thrombus. Proper blood flow in veins is important to ensure effective return of deoxygenated blood to the heart. However, it is much challenging to recognize the vessel condition due to the inability to visualize the thrombus presence in the vessel. The presence of noise in the image obtained from ultrasound scanning is one of the obstructions in recognizing it. Considering the difficulty, this study aims to assess the velocity and vorticity at the vein valve region using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. The velocity of blood and the size of valve orifice are considered important parameters in designing the vein since the stenosis and irregularities of velocity in blood vessels are known as the risk factors for thrombus formation. From the simulation, the velocity contour plot of the blood flow can be visualized clearly. The blood distribution was presented using velocity profile while the fluid particles movement was shown by the velocity vector. The low blood velocity clearly shows the low velocity region which reside at the cusps area and at the beginning of the valve leaflets. Therefore, the present study is able to visualize and evaluate the probable location of thrombus development in the blood vessel.