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Data for: On the identification of hypoxic regions in subject-specific cerebral vasculature by combined CFD/MRI

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Dec 09, 2022 version files 600.39 MB

Abstract

A long-time exposure to lack of oxygen (hypoxia) in some regions of the cerebrovascular system is believed to be one of the causes of cerebral neurological disease. Performing {\em in vivo} studies on the human brain is complicated and can be highly risky for patients. In the present study, we show how a combination of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can provide a non-invasive alternative for studying blood flow and transport of oxygen within the cerebral vasculature. We perform computer simulations of oxygen mass transfer in the subject-specific geometry of the Circle of Willis. The computational domain and boundary conditions are based on 4D flow MRI measurements. Two different oxygen mass transfer models are considered: passive (where oxygen is treated as a dilute chemical species in plasma) and active (where oxygen is bonded to hemoglobin) models. We show that neglecting hemoglobin transport results in a significant underestimation of the arterial wall-mass transfer of oxygen. We identified the hypoxic regions along the arterial walls by introducing the critical thresholds that are obtained by comparison of the estimated range of Damk\"{o}hler number ($Da\subset\langle9;57\rangle$) with the local Sherwood number. Finally, we recommend additional validations of the combined MRI/CFD approach proposed here for larger groups of subject- or patient-specific brain vasculature systems.