Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
The Lattice Boltzmann Method as a General
Framework for Blood Flow Modelling
and Simulations
Simone Melchionna, Giuseppe Pontrelli, Massimo Bernaschi,
Mauro Bisson, Ian Halliday, Tim J. Spencer, and Sauro Succi
Abstract
Large-scale simulations of blood flow allow for the optimal evaluation
of endothelial shear stress for real-life case studies in cardiovascular pathologies.
The procedure for anatomic data acquisition, geometry, and mesh generation are
particularly favorable if used in conjunction with the Lattice Boltzmann method
and the underlying Cartesian mesh. The methodology allows to accommodate red
blood cells in order to take into account the corpuscular nature of blood in
multiscale scenarios and its complex rheological response, in particular, in proxim-
ity of the endothelium. Taken together, the Lattice Boltzmann framework has
become a reality for studying sections of the human circulatory system in physio-
logical conditions.
10.1
Introduction
Blood flow simulations constitute a rapidly growing field for the medical, engineer-
ing, and basic sciences communities. The study of blood in the macrovasculature,
as much as in capillaries, has deep implications in understanding and prevention of
the most common cardiovascular pathologies, with atherosclerosis being perhaps
the best known example. Atherosclerosis is responsible for
35% of annual deaths
in developed countries, and its development depends on the presence of systemic
S. Melchionna (
*
)
IPCF-CNR, Institute for Physico-Chemical Processes, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
e-mail:
simone.melchionna@gmail.com
G. Pontrelli • M. Bernaschi •
M. Bisson • S. Succi
IAC-CNR, Institute for Computation “M. Picone”, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
I. Halliday • T.J. Spencer
MERI, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard St, Sheffield S1 1WB, UK
e-mail:
I.Halliday@shu.ac.uk
;
T.J.Spencer@shu.ac.uk
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