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Critical Reviews™ in Biomedical Engineering

ISSN for PRINT: 0278-940X

Institutional price:	$1677.00
Issues per year:	6

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2006, Volume34

109 pages

Issue price - $266.00

Coronary Arteries: Imaging, Reconstruction, and Fluid Dynamic Analysis

Krishnan B. Chandran
Department of Biomedical Engineering; IIHR: Hydroscience and Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

Andreas Wahle
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

Sarah C. Vigmostad
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

Mark E. Olszewski
Department of Biomedical Engineering; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

James D. Rossen
Department of Internal Medicine, Lucille A. and Roy J. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

Milan Sonka
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

ABSTRACT

Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of most cardiovascular-related deaths in industrialized nations. Determining the etiology of atherosclerosis and detecting lesions in the early stages of the disease for possible pharmacological or mechanical intervention have been challenges facing cardiovascular researchers. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, the formation and growth of atheroma have been linked to the complex fluid dynamics and mass transport in these arterial segments. This article reviews the current state of affairs in imaging modalities and image processing techniques that allow the visualization and morphologically realistic reconstruction of coronary arterial geometry to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). In addition, studies pertaining to our current understanding of the complex flow dynamics in the coronary arteries and the relationship between fluid-induced stresses on the initiation and growth of the atherosclerotic lesions are also reviewed. The article concludes with a brief discussion on possible future directions of research that will advance our knowledge of this challenging problem.