A hybrid seminar titled "Cardiovascular Blood Flow Simulation - Aorta & Coronary Artery" was held on November 3, 2023, under the supervision of Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Computational Science and Engineering Department faculty member Prof. Dr. Mustafa Serdar Çelebi. PhD candidate Reza Daryani first presented a study examining aortic valve calcification and subsequent stenosis. The study utilized the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) and IBAMR software to analyze the hemodynamic characterization of the aortic valve. The primary objective of the study was to understand how increasing degrees of calcification affect blood flow and leaflet dynamics. Initial findings revealed that the increased calcification led to irregular valve closure and increased jet velocity. Moreover, the study highlighted the high wall shear stress caused by calcification on the aortic wall and the resulting endothelial damage.
In the second part of the presentation, MSc student Hacer Duzman provided a detailed explanation of the procedures involved in obtaining patient-specific three-dimensional geometries of coronary arteries from computerized tomography images. Duzman also discussed the process of creating a mesh and establishing blood flow parameters and boundary conditions for coronary flow. Additionally, using the computational fluid dynamics and simulation tool OpenFOAM®, she investigated the impact of anomalies in coronary artery geometry on blood flow, with the help of hemodynamic indices.
The seminar highlighted the significance of interdisciplinary research in the field of cardiovascular health, emphasizing its relevance to both scientific and clinical domains.