Simulation study on bypass and therapeutic occlusion in the posterior circulation.

A hydraulic vascular model of the vertebrobasilar artery with an autoregulatory mechanism was constructed. The haemodynamic effect of superficial temporal artery (STA)-posterior cerebral artery (PCA) bypass was investigated in cases of bilateral vertebral artery (VA) occlusion and basilar artery (BA) occlusion. Assuming therapeutic BA occlusion for basilar bifurcation aneurysms, the flow volume through the P1 segment of the PCA was determined in relation to diameters of the posterior communicating artery (PCom). The bypass increases both flow volume and intraluminal pressure in the presence range below 60 mm Hg, while it increases only pressure in the autoregulatory range above 60 mm Hg. Its haemodynamic effect is more marked in BA occlusion than in VA occlusion. The averaged values of the increase in flow volume are 29.0 +/- 4.3% (mean +/- SD) and 16.5 + 1.0%, respectively. The total flow volume increase of the vertebrobasilar system is usually lower than the flow volume measured at the bypassed STA. The difference between the two is equal to the simultaneous decrease in flow volume through the PComs. Flow volume through the P1 segment can be expressed as a function of the PComs diameter ratio squared. A hydraulic simulation study will be useful for speculating on the haemodynamic effects of these operative procedures.