We are proud to present here Eirini Kardampiki’s doctoral thesis “Development of Computational Tools for Cardiovascular Applications,” discussed at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. This research develops computational tools to support cardiovascular surgeries, specifically Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) and the modified Blalock–Taussig shunt (MBTS). EVAR is a minimally invasive procedure for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms in patients with aortic diameters over 3 cm, but it faces complications like guidewire-induced deformations and post-operative thrombus formation. To address these, a pipeline using Reduced Order Modelling (ROM) and Finite Elements (FE) simulations was created to predict aortic configurations in real-time, aiding intraoperative navigation. Additionally, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis identified thrombus-prone regions in stent-grafts, finding Zenith Alpha more susceptible due to higher recirculation and shear strain rates.
For MBTS, which addresses cyanotic heart diseases by implanting a synthetic shunt between the subclavian and pulmonary arteries, a static ROM trained on CFD data was developed to recommend personalized shunt morphology, improving implant sizing. The research demonstrated the ROM’s significant precision and potential clinical integration. In summary, the studies developed tools for real-time predictions and thrombus formation analysis to enhance surgical outcomes.
You can read the presentation and the full thesis here.