| Popis: |
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac disease which has been associated with increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. We hypothesize that atrial fibrillation leads to regional transient hypoperfusion events in the brain, and that geometric variations in the arterial structure called the Circle of Willis (CoW) play a role in these events. Methods: A computational model was developed to simulate cerebral blood flow in six common variations of the CoW. Risk was assessed based on frequency of beat-wise regional hypoperfusion events during AF, and sensitivity analysis was performed with respect to this model output. Results: A key artery in the CoW, called the A1 segment, was found to play the most important role in cerebral perfusion. Intrinsic heart rate was also found to influence the frequency of hypoperfusion events. Conclusions: Our results suggest that heart rate and CoW geometry play important roles influencing cerebral hemodynamics during AF. |
