ABSTRACT
Cerebral aneurysms is one of the elds where the use of image-based CFD is growing very fast. e reason is perhaps a reection of the pressing need in this eld to understand the mechanisms underlying the formation, growth, and eventual rupture or stabilization of cerebral aneurysms. is understanding is the key to identify conditions that predispose aneurysms for rupture and thus enable an objective assessment of their natural rupture risk, as well as to design new devices and therapies that directly attack the factors involved in their evolution. Image-based CFD provides information about the in vivo hemodynamics environment in aneurysms on a patient-specic basis. is is important because hemodynamics is thought to play a fundamental role in the mechanisms governing aneurysm development and evolution (Sforza et al., 2009). e line of thought is that biological processes in the aneurysm wall in response to abnormal hemodynamic
loads (in particular, wall shear stress [WSS]) tend to degenerate the wall structure, resulting in a weakening of the wall and subsequent enlargement of the aneurysm until it either stabilizes or ruptures (when wall stress exceeds wall strength). However, the exact hemodynamic conditions and their link to the mechanobiological responses at the wall that drive aneurysm initiation and progression are still poorly understood. Image-based CFD is a promising approach to study these and other clinically relevant questions.
