Construção de modelos de árvores arteriais usando diferentes expoentes para a lei de bifurcação

Abstract

Computational models of arterial trees are used as geometric substrates in hemodynamic simulations. The construction of these models is mandatory for appropriated representation of the peripheral vascular networks due to lack of anatomical data of these networks. The models reported in the literature are classified into: anatomical, lumped parameter, fractal and optimized. The growth of the fractal and optimized models depend on a bifurcation law, which controls the relationship between the radii of the vessels involved in the bifurcation through an exponent. This work investigates the construction of optimized models inspired by the CCO (Constructive Constrained Optimization) method using new approaches to the choice of the exponent of the bifurcation law. Theses strategies are formulated as step and sigmoid functions depend on number of proximal bifurcations. Morphometric data from models are compared with other experimental and theoretical data of the literature. The results obtained show that the bifurcation exponent influences the geometrical and topological structures of the models.