Simulating flow induced migration in vascular remodelling
Fig 1
Initial vessel outline and μPIV results were used as inputs for the CFD module which gives the shear stress levels and velocity field for each point within the vasculature. Vascular and avascular agents were defined based on the vessel shape. Shear stress levels together with in vitro data for the relation between shear stress and EC migration rate were used to determine the velocity of migration of each vascular agent in each time-step. The velocity field was used to determine the direction of migration for ECs, such that the ECs migrated in the opposite direction of flow. These were used as the inputs for the computational model which predicts the final vessel shape based on the vascular agents’ final coordinates. Finally, the model prediction was compared with the real outline of the vessel after the period of prediction using rigid registration.