PREOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION OF POSTOPERATIVE RESULTS IN ANARTIFICIAL ARTERIAL NETWORK USING COMPUTER-SIMULATION

A computer model has been developed that can be used to describe the h uman arterial system mathematically. It simulates the complex relation ships of morphology and hydraulics in the vessel network. After enteri ng patient data into a standard vessel model, the mean flow velocity, the flow direction, and the blood pressure at each specified point of the flow network can be calculated. The vessel picture can be altered and modified with the help of a graphic editor. Localized or diffuse s tenoses, bypasses with simple or multiple anastomoses, end-to-end anas tomoses, end-to-side anastomoses, etc., can be studied in terms of the hydraulic effects on the local situation or on the entire vessel syst em. Experimental results of ultrasonic mean flow data in vessel system s of leg and cerebral arteries of patients are compared with calculate d values. The predicted and measured flow velocities show a mean diffe rence of about 10% indicating that such a computer model may be succes sfully used in the optimal planning of bypass operations.