A Lattice Boltzmann Method for Non-Newtonian Blood Flow in Coiled Intracranial Aneurysms

Intracranial aneurysms are the leading cause of hemorrhagic stroke. One of the established treatment approaches is the embolization induced by coil insertion. However, the prediction of treatment and subsequent changed flow characteristics in the aneurysm is still an open problem. In this work, we present an approach based on a patient-specific geometry and parameters including a coil representation as inhomogeneous porous medium. The model consists of the volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for a non-Newtonian blood rheology. We solve these equations using a problem-adapted lattice Boltzmann method and present a comparison between fully-resolved and volume-averaged simulations. The results indicate the validity of the model. Overall, this workflow allows for patient specific assessment of the flow due to potential treatment.