Evaluation of CFR and FFR parameters by CFD modeling of the flow in a stenosed coronary artery

Medical specialists estimate stenosis severity using either simple geometrical parameters, such as percent diameter stenosis, or hemodynamically based parameters such as the fractional flow reserve (FFR) or coronary flow reserve (CFR). The present study is carried to establish a relationship between actual hemodynamic conditions and the above mentioned parameters of stenosis severity. We use a numerical model of the blood flow in a vessel with a blunt stenosis and autoregulated vascular bed to simulate a stenosed blood vessel. A key point to realistic simulations is to model properly the arterial autoregulation. The present numerical model is based on the comparison of the flow in healthy and stenotic vessels. The calculated values of CFR and FFR are in the physiological range.