| Popis: |
Cirrhosis is a life-threatening condition that represents a leading cause of death in the western world. In this condition the structure of the liver tissue is altered by the development of fibrosis, which means it becomes stiffer and its permeability to blood and interstitial flow within the tissue that are vital to its function are reduced. We develop a new mathematical model based on those by Bonfiglio et al (2010) and Siggers et al (2014), which we use to investigate the changes in liver volume, blood flow and lymphatic uptake, which measures interstitial flow, that occur as the tissue becomes progressively stiffer. Our results suggest that the typical changes that develop during cirrhosis have a significant effect on the permeability properties, highlighting the seriousness of this condition. |
