Abstract
It was recently pointed out that the centerline of the aortic arch does not lie in a plane, and has a three dimensional (3D) distortion. This distortion is thought to be a risk factor of the development of aneurysms. In the present study, we constructed a realistic CFD model of the aorta based on MRI measurements, simulated the flow inside the aorta, investigated the effect of 3D distortion of the arch on the blood flow, and discussed its pathophysiological significance. We showed that the 3D distortion of the aorta caused a complex flow pattern, which resulted in the localized WSS distribution. We suggest that the complex WSS distribution may be related to the development of aneurysms and atherosclerosis at the arch.
