Biofluid-Biostructure Interaction Analyses Using Comprehensive Patient-Specific Geometries

A multitude of imaging modalities are used to acquire patient-specific geometries. The extracted 3D patient-specific models are then typically simplified. The most common reason is to increase the speed of subsequent calculations. However, it can be argued that these simplifications nullify the reason for calling these geometries patient-specific. This argument is supported by the fact that, once modified, the geometry no longer accurately represents the patient it was extracted from. Moreover, biomedical applications do not just include complex geometries, they also include large deformations of their solid domains. The present paper shows the use of a next-generation SPH method that allows the user to gain results in a timely manner without the need to simplify the geometry. SPH is used to simulate the fluid domain, which is combined with a high-order finite element method used to simulate the solid domain, thus creating an ideal combination of methods to simulate fluid-structure interaction. The utilization of these methods is especially advantageous when complex geometries are to be included.