The arterial input function (AIF)—time-density curve (TDC) of contrast at the coronary ostia—plays a central role in contrast enhanced computed tomography angiography (CTA). This study employs computational modeling in a patient-specific aorta to investigate mixing and dispersion of contrast in the aortic arch (AA) and to compare the TDCs in the coronary ostium and the descending aorta. Here, we examine the validity of the use of TDC in the descending aorta as a surrogate for the AIF. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to study hemodynamics and contrast dispersion in a CTA-based patient model of the aorta. Variations in TDC between the aortic root, through the AA and at the descending aorta and the effect of flow patterns on contrast dispersion was studied via postprocessing of the results. Simulations showed complex unsteady patterns of contrast mixing and dispersion in the AA that are driven by the pulsatile flow. However, despite the relatively long intra-aortic distance between the coronary ostia and the descending aorta, the TDCs at these two locations were similar in terms of rise-time and up-slope, and the time lag between the two TDCs was 0.19 s. TDC in the descending aorta is an accurate analog of the AIF. Methods that use quantitative metrics such as rise-time and slope of the AIF to estimate coronary flowrate and myocardial ischemia can continue with the current practice of using the TDC at the descending aorta as a surrogate for the AIF.
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October 2019
Technical Briefs
Flow Dynamics in the Aortic Arch and Its Effect on the Arterial Input Function in Cardiac Computed Tomography
Parastou Eslami,
Parastou Eslami
Mechanical Engineering Department,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: peslami1@mgh.harvard.edu
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: peslami1@mgh.harvard.edu
1Corresponding author.
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Jung-Hee Seo,
Jung-Hee Seo
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
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Albert C. Lardo,
Albert C. Lardo
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
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Marcus Y. Chen,
Marcus Y. Chen
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI),
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892
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Rajat Mittal
Rajat Mittal
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218;
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218;
Division of Cardiology,
Department of Medicine,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21287
Department of Medicine,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21287
Search for other works by this author on:
Parastou Eslami
Mechanical Engineering Department,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: peslami1@mgh.harvard.edu
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: peslami1@mgh.harvard.edu
Jung-Hee Seo
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
Albert C. Lardo
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
Marcus Y. Chen
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI),
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892
Rajat Mittal
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218;
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218;
Division of Cardiology,
Department of Medicine,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21287
Department of Medicine,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21287
1Corresponding author.
2Present address: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02114.
Manuscript received June 13, 2018; final manuscript received February 8, 2019; published online July 15, 2019. Assoc. Editor: Keefe B. Manning.This work is in part a work of the U.S. Government. ASME disclaims all interest in the U.S. Government's contributions.
J Biomech Eng. Oct 2019, 141(10): 104501 (8 pages)
Published Online: July 15, 2019
Article history
Received:
June 13, 2018
Revised:
February 8, 2019
Citation
Eslami, P., Seo, J., Lardo, A. C., Chen, M. Y., and Mittal, R. (July 15, 2019). "Flow Dynamics in the Aortic Arch and Its Effect on the Arterial Input Function in Cardiac Computed Tomography." ASME. J Biomech Eng. October 2019; 141(10): 104501. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4043076
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