Hemodynamics in aneurysm blebs with different wall characteristics

Seyedeh Fatemeh Salimi Ashkezari, Fernando Mut, Bong Jae Chung, Alexander K. Yu, Christopher J. Stapleton, Alfred P. See, Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, Fady T. Charbel, Behnam Rezai Jahromi, Mika Niemelä, Juhana Frösen, Spandan Maiti, Anne M. Robertson, Juan R. Cebral

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    24 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Background Blebs are important secondary structures of intracranial aneurysms associated with increased rupture risk and can affect local wall stress and hemodynamics. Mechanisms of bleb development and evolution are not clearly understood. We investigate the relationship between blebs with different wall characteristics and local hemodynamics and rupture sites. Methods Blebs with different wall appearances in intra-operative videos were analyzed with image-based computational fluid dynamics. Thin red blebs were compared against thick atherosclerotic/hyperplastic white/yellow blebs. Rupture points were identified in videos of ruptured aneurysms harboring blebs. Results Thin blebs tended to be closer to the inflow than atherosclerotic blebs of the same aneurysm (P=0.0234). Blebs near the inflow had higher velocity (P=0.0213), vorticity (P=0.0057), shear strain rate (P=0.0084), wall shear stress (WSS) (P=0.0085), and WSS gradient (P=0.0151) than blebs far from the inflow. In a subset of 12 ruptured aneurysms harboring blebs, rupture points were associated with thin blebs in 42% of aneurysms, atherosclerotic blebs in 25%, and were away from blebs in the remaining 33%. Conclusions Not all blebs are equal; some have thin translucent walls while others have thick atherosclerotic walls. Thin blebs tend to be located closer to the inflow than atherosclerotic blebs. Blebs near the inflow are exposed to stronger flows with higher and spatially variable WSS than blebs far from the inflow which tend to have uniformly lower WSS. Aneurysms can rupture at thin blebs, atherosclerotic blebs, and even away from blebs. Further study of wall failure in aneurysms with different bleb types is needed.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)642-646
    Number of pages5
    JournalJournal of NeuroInterventional Surgery
    Volume13
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 Jul 2021

    Keywords

    • aneurysm
    • hemorrhage

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Hemodynamics in aneurysm blebs with different wall characteristics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this