A Computational Electrical Analogy Model to Evaluate the Effect of Internal Carotid Artery Stenosis on Circle of Willis Efferent Arteries Pressure

Computational modeling of biological systems plays an important role in simulation and diagnosis of human body diseases. Blood circulatory system is the most important part of human biological system which affects by heart hemodynamic performance. Such complicated biological system can be modeled by a lumped parameter mathematical model (LPMM). Pressure-flow modeling (similar to the voltage–current relations of an electrical circuit) is one the common methods for simulation of cardiovascular (CV) system behavior and predictions of hemodynamic in various physiological states. In this study, the lumped parameter mathematical model (equivalent electronically circuit) is employed to simulate the CV system using MATLAB software (SIMULINK). The LPMM enables us to predict hemodynamic behavior of different parts of circulatory system (such as six circle of Willis efferent arteries) when disease such as internal carotid artery occlusion occurs. The performance of healthy blood circulation and heart is modeled and the obtained results used for further analyses. The stenosis of internal carotid artery at different rates was, then, induced in the circuit and the effects are studied. In stenosis cases, the effects of internal carotid artery occlusion on efferent arteries of circle of Willis pressures are investigated. The findings of this study may have implications not only for understanding the behavior of human biological system at healthy condition but also for diagnosis of diseases in circulatory and cardiovascular system of human body.