Numerical simulations of fluid mechanical interactions between two abdominal aortic branches

The purpose of the present study is to investigate fluid mechanical interactions between two major abdominal aortic branches under both steady and pulsatile flow conditions. Two model branching systems are considered: two branches emerging off the same side of the aorta (model 1) and two branches emerging off the opposite sides of the aorta (model 2). At higher Reynolds numbers, the velocity profiles within the branches in model 1 are M-shaped due to the strong skewness, while the loss of momentum in model 2 due to turning effects at the first branch leads to the absence of a reversed flow region at the entrance of the second branch. The wall shear stresses are considerably higher along the anterior wall of the abdominal aorta than along the posterior wall, opposite the celiac-superior mesenteric arteries. The wall shear stresses are higher in the immediate vicinity of the daughter branches. The peak wall shear stress in model 2 is considerably lower than that in the model 1. Although quantitative comparisons of our results with the physiological data have not been possible, our results provide useful information for the localization of early atherosclerotic lesions.