Effects of gender-related geometrical characteristics of aorta–iliac bifurcation on hemodynamics and macromolecule concentration distribution

Aorta–iliac bifurcation has been anatomically shown to be asymmetric. Also, statistical data reveal differences in the structural features of average male and female aorta–iliac bifurcation. In the present work, numerical simulations of the macromolecule transport at the aorta–iliac bifurcation are performed. The transport phenomena within the lumen and the arterial wall are coupled. The arterial wall is modeled as a four-layer porous wall, representing endothelium, intima, internal elastic lamina (IEL), and media layers. The layers are all treated as macroscopically homogeneous porous media with uniform morphological properties. The Staverman filtration coefficient is incorporated to account for selective permeability of each porous layer to macromolecules. Different geometrical attributes of the aorta–iliac bifurcation are studied, i.e. asymmetry and gender-dependence. Profiles of macromolecule concentration distributions are obtained for different cases. The results are discussed with regard to the shear stress distribution, which is believed to be one of the key factors in atherogenesis. The present study appears to be the first one to discuss the effects of gender and geometrical characteristics (e.g. asymmetry) on the transport phenomena at the aorta–iliac bifurcation.