Estudo hemodinâmico experimental em modelos de aneurismas intracranianos baseados em casos reais obtidos por fabrico aditivo: efeito das condições de entrada e de fronteira do escoamento

July 20, 2026

This dissertation presents an experimental investigation of the hemodynamic behavior of flow in patient-specific intracranial aneurysm models, using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a blood-analog fluid and polymeric microparticles for flow visualization. The physical models were produced by additive manufacturing, allowing controlled laboratory experiments. Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) was used to reconstruct particle trajectories, from which wall shear stress was computed through gradients of the measured velocity field, dispensing with the assumption of fully developed flow. Three clinical cases were analyzed, representing small, medium, and large aneurysms, each tested at three flow rates. The flow was shown to reach the cavity in a non-developed regime under all tested conditions, a situation representative of the clinical context and distinct from that adopted in most numerical studies. The results revealed recirculation zones and stable vortical structures, strongly conditioned by cavity geometry. The largest aneurysm presented the most unfavorable hemodynamic conditions, with 75% of the sac wall exposed to shear stresses below 0.4 Pa at the lowest flow rate, compared with approximately 29% in the remaining cases. Increasing the flow rate reduced, but did not eliminate, these regions. The ratio between neck width and sac diameter proved more informative than the absolute size of the aneurysm. The approach adopted proved effective and complementary to computational modeling for the *in vitro* study of cerebrovascular hemodynamics.

Authors in the community:

• 

  C

  Carlos Mainha Bungo

  ist1104684

Supervisors of this institution:

• 

  A

  Ana Sofia Oliveira Henriques Moita

  ist31614

mechanical-engineering - Mechanical engineering

por - Portuguese

Instituto Superior Técnico