Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
Biomed Eng Online. 2011 Dec 2;10:104. doi: 10.1186/1475-925X-10-104.
In recent years, intra arterial chemotherapy has become an important component in head and neck cancer treatment. However, therapy success can vary significantly and consistent treatment guidelines are missing. The purpose of this study was to create a computer simulation of the chemical agent injection in the head and neck arteries to investigate the distribution and concentration of the chemical.
Realistic three dimensional patient specific geometry was created from image scan data. Pulsatile blood flow, turbulence, the chemical agent injection via a catheter, and the mixture between blood and the chemical were then simulated through the arterial network by computational fluid dynamics software.
The results show a consistent chemical distribution throughout all the arteries and this is ineffective. In addition, due to high wall shear stress and turbulence at the inner bifurcation wall, serious complications during the treatment could occur, for instance haemolysis or thrombosis.
The modelled catheter position is insufficient to provide a high chemical agent concentration in the desired tumour feeding artery, which is vital for therapy success.
近年来，动脉内化疗已成为头颈部癌症治疗的重要组成部分。然而，治疗效果差异很大，且缺乏一致的治疗指南。本研究的目的是对头颈部动脉中的化学药剂注射进行计算机模拟，以研究化学药剂的分布和浓度。
从图像扫描数据创建真实的三维患者特定几何形状。然后，通过计算流体动力学软件，通过动脉网络模拟脉动血流、湍流、通过导管进行化学药剂注射以及血液与化学药剂之间的混合。
结果表明，所有动脉中的化学分布都很均匀，但效果不佳。此外，由于内分叉壁处的壁切应力和湍流较高，在治疗过程中可能会发生严重的并发症，例如溶血或血栓形成。
所模拟的导管位置不足以在所需的肿瘤供血动脉中提供高浓度的化学药剂，这对头颈部癌症治疗的成功至关重要。
