Computational fluid dynamic and magnetic resonance analyses of flow distribution between the lungs after total cavopulmonary connection

Total cavopulmonary connection is a surgical procedure adopted to treat com plex congenital malformations of the right heart, It consists basically in a connection of both venae cavae directly to the right pulmonary artery. In this paper a three-dimensional model of this connection is presented, whic h is based on in vivo measurements performed by means of magnetic resonance , The model was developed by means of computational fluid dynamics techniqu es, namely the finite element method. The aim of this study was to verify t he capability of such a model to predict the distribution of the blood flow into the pulmonary arteries, by comparison with in vivo velocity measureme nts. Different simulations were performed on a single clinical case to test the sensitivity of the model to different boundary conditions, in terms of inlet velocity profiles as well as outlet pressure levels. Results showed that the how distribution between the lungs is slightly affected by the sha pe of inlet velocity profiles, whereas it is influenced by different pressu re levels to a greater extent.