Numerical Simulation of Blood Clot Extraction Process Using Aspiration-Based Mechanical Thrombectomy
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The proper removal of clot from the cerebral vessels is crucial for the treatment of ischemicstroke. One of the clinical procedures involves aspiration of the clot using a catheter. During aspiration, a surgeon places the catheter tip near the clot and aspires it by applying a pressure lower than that in the human body. The proximity of the catheter tip to the clot and the suction pressure values are critical for the success of the process. This study focuses on the clot behavior during the suction process. We simulate the blood clot extraction process inside an idealized, cylindrical blood vessel model with the aspiration based thrombectomy technique. A fully Eulerian method is used under the Finite Volume method where the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved in the fluid region while the Cauchy stress equation is solved in the solid region. We focus on the role of flow variables like the pressure, velocity and the proximity between the clot and the catheter tip for successfully capturing the soft clots. We observe that once the clot is attracted to the catheter port due to pressure forces, the viscous stresses drag it inside the catheter. On the other hand, if initially the clot is not attracted then it is carried downstream by the viscous stresses. The inter-play of pressure difference and the viscous stress is cruicial for the outcome of the clot removal process. We hope that this study will be useful to the medical community working in the area of thrombectomy.
Source: Fluids
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,172
Award: G3243507705
OpenAlex ID: W4410232194