Pierre A. Gremaud

A New Physiological Boundary Condition for Hemodynamics

We propose a new physiologically-based outflow boundary condition for hemodynamics under general transient regimes. This is in contrast to previous studies that impose restrictions of temporal periodicity. The new condition is analyzed and its numerical implementation is discussed in detail. We show that existing impedance boundary conditions can be viewed as numerical approximations of the new condition. Our study provides a partial justification for using some of these existing conditions beyond the periodic problems for which they were designed. Moreover, the new condition has better stability properties. The theoretical results are illustrated by numerical experiments pertaining to cerebral blood flow.

Comparison of the Windkessel model and structured-tree model applied to prescribe outflow boundary conditions for a one-dimensional arterial tree model

One-dimensional (1D) modeling is a widely adopted approach for studying wave propagation phenomena in the arterial system. Despite the frequent use of the Windkessel (WK) model to prescribe outflow boundary conditions for 1D arterial tree models, it remains unclear to what extent the inherent limitation of the WK model in describing wave propagation in distal vasculatures affect hemodynamic variables simulated at the arterial level. In the present study, a 1D model of the arterial tree was coupled respectively with a WK boundary model and a structured-tree (ST) boundary model, yielding two types of arterial tree models. The effective resistances, compliances and inductances of the WK and ST boundary models were matched to facilitate quantitative comparisons. Obtained results showed that pressure/flow waves simulated by the two models were comparable in the aorta, whereas, their discrepancies increased towards the periphery. Wave analysis revealed that the differences in reflected waves generated by the boundary models were the major sources of pressure wave discrepancies observed in large arteries. Additional simulations performed under aging conditions demonstrated that arterial stiffening with age enlarged the discrepancies, but with the effects being partly counteracted by physiological aortic dilatation with age. These findings suggest that the method adopted for modeling the outflow boundary conditions has considerable influence on the performance of a 1D arterial tree model, with the extent of influence varying with the properties of the arterial system.

SECONDARY CIRCULATION IN GRANULAR FLOW THROUGH NONAXISYMMETRIC HOPPERS

Jenikes radial solution, widely used in the design of materials-handling equipment, is a similarity solution of steady-state continuum equations for the flow under gravity of granular material through an infinite, right-circular cone. In this paper we study how the geometry of the hopper influences this solution. Using perturbation theory, we compute a first-order correction to the (steady-state) velocity resulting from a small change in hopper geometry, either distortion of the cross section or tilting away from vertical. Unlike for the Jenike solution, all three components of the correction velocity are nonzero; i.e., there is secondary circulation in the perturbed flow.

Impedance boundary conditions for general transient hemodynamics

We discuss the implementation and calibration of a new generalized structured tree boundary condition for hemodynamics. The main idea is to approximate the impedance corresponding to the vessels downstream from a specific outlet. Unlike previous impedance conditions, the one considered here is applicable to general transient flows as opposed to periodic ones only. The physiological character of the approach significantly simplifies calibration. We also describe a novel way to incorporate autoregulation mechanisms in structured arterial trees at minimal computational cost. The strength of the approach is illustrated and validated on several examples through comparison with clinical data.

Modeling cerebral blood flow and regulation

Cerebral autoregulation is a homeostatic mechanism which maintains blood flow despite changes in blood pressure in order to meet local metabolic demands. Several mechanisms play a role in cerebral autoregulation in order to adjust vascular tone and caliber of the cerebral vessels, but the exact etiology of the dynamics of these mechanism is not well understood. In this study, we discuss two patient specific models predicting cerebral blood flow velocity during postural change from sitting to standing. One model characterises cerebral autoregulation, the other describes the beat-to-beat distribution of blood flow to the major regions of the brain. Both models have been validated against experimental data from a healthy young subject.

Response to perturbations for granular flow in a hopper

We experimentally investigate the response to perturbations of circular symmetry for dense granular flow inside a three-dimensional right-conical hopper. These experiments consist of particle tracking velocimetry for the flow at the outer boundary of the hopper. We are able to test commonly used constitutive relations and observe granular flow phenomena that we can model numerically. Unperturbed conical hopper flow has been described as a radial velocity field with no azimuthal component. Guided by numerical models based upon continuum descriptions, we find experimental evidence for secondary, azimuthal circulation in response to perturbation of the symmetry with respect to gravity by tilting. For small perturbations we can discriminate between constitutive relations, based upon the agreement between the numerical predictions they produce and our experimental results. We find that the secondary circulation can be suppressed as wall friction is varied, also in agreement with numerical predictions. For large tilt angles we observe the abrupt onset of circulation for parameters where circulation was previously suppressed. Finally, we observe that for large tilt angles the fluctuations in velocity grow, independent of the onset of circulation.

Transcranial Doppler-Based Surrogates for Cerebral Blood Flow: A Statistical Study

It is commonly assumed that perfusion in a given cerebral territory can be inferred from Blood Flow Velocity (BFV) measurements in the corresponding stem artery. In order to test this hypothesis, we construct a cerebral blood flow (CBF) estimator based on transcranial Doppler (TCD) blood flow velocity and ten other easily available patient characteristics and clinical parameters. A total of 261 measurements were collected from 88 older patients. The estimator is based on local regression (Random Forest). Its performance is analyzed against baseline CBF from 3-D pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patient specific CBF predictions are of poor quality (r = 0.41 and p-value = 4.5 × 10−12); the hypothesis is thus not clearly supported by evidence.

Nonlocal PDF methods for Langevin equations with colored noise

Abstract Langevin equations describe systems subjected to internally generated or externally imposed random excitations. If these excitations correspond to Gaussian white noise, it is relatively straightforward to derive a closed form equation for the joint probability density function (PDF) of state variables. Many natural phenomena present however correlated (colored) excitations. For such problems, a full probabilistic characterization through the resolution of a PDF equation can be obtained through two levels of approximations: first, mixed ensemble moments have to be approximated to lead to a closed system of equations and, second, the resulting nonlocal equations should be at least partially localized to ensure computational efficiency. We propose a new semi-local formulation based on a modified large-eddy diffusivity (LED) approach; the formulation retains most of the accuracy of a fully nonlocal approach while presenting the same order of algorithmic complexity as the standard LED approach. The accuracy of the approach is successfully tested against Monte Carlo simulations.