Fluid-Structure Interaction Analyses of Biological Systems Using Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics

Abstract

Due to the inherent complexity of biological applications that more often than not include fluids and structures interacting together, the development of computational fluid-structure interaction models is necessary to achieve a quantitative understanding of their structure and function in both health and disease. The functions of biological structures usually include their interactions with the surrounding fluids. Hence, we contend that the use of fluid-structure interaction models in computational studies of biological systems is practical, if not necessary. The ultimate goal is to develop computational models to predict human biological processes. These models are meant to guide us through the multitude of possible diseases affecting our organs and lead to more effective methods for disease diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapy. This review paper summarizes computational models that use smoothed-particle hydrodynamics to simulate the fluid-structure interactions in complex biological systems.

Keywords: biological systems; fluid–structure interaction; numerical analyses; simulation; smoothed-particle hydrodynamics.

Figure 1

Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics with a kernel approximation.

Figure 2

In the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study [72], the participants were requested to provide simulation data along the model centerline, among others. The results of the study for Reynolds number of 500 are shown here. The graph was re-created based on the data from [75].

Figure 3

Closed leaflets reconstructed from $\mu$CT images (a) compared to the results of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations (b), after balancing all the structures involved [40]. The curves represent the coaptation line where the posterior and anterior leaflets are in contact.