Blood flow and macromolecular transport in complex blood vessels.

Numerical simulations of pulsatile flows and macromolecular (such as LDL) transport in complex blood vessels, including the cerebral artery, are carried out using the FLUENT software. The hemodynamic factors such as axial velocity, secondary flow as well as LDL concentration distribution in the complex vessel are obtained. It is found that in the case of pulsatile flow, the LDL concentration is higher in the central region of the flow than on the wall. Under the precondition of impermeability, the numerical results indicate that the blood flow is quite complicated in complex blood vessel. The complex flow can reduce the LDL concentration on the vessel wall, which is helpful to prevent the concentration polarization.