A computer model for assessing severity of peripheral arterial disease

Computational fluid dynamics for haemodynamic assessment of the vasculature in patients with limb ischaemia (Dr Mostafa Albayati)

Supervised by vascular surgeon Mr Bijan Modarai, this Clinical Research Training Fellow is looking for ways to detect leg blood vessels that need treatment when they narrow or become blocked in peripheral arterial disease. In peripheral arterial disease, blood flow to the legs is restricted, causing pain or even gangrene. This condition is called critical limb ischaemia, and in around a third of patients it can lead to limb amputation. Some people can compensate by developing new blood vessels (collaterals) that bypass the narrowing or blockage, and this may prevent symptoms developing or worsening. We need to detect the narrowed vessels that restrict blood flow the most and don’t have collaterals to compensate so these patients can receive treatment. Blood pressure and blood flow in affected vessels can be measured by inserting a sensing wire into the artery. But this is a time-consuming and invasive procedure. In this project, the fellow will develop a computer-based model that non-invasively measures blood pressure and blood flow in normal and narrowed leg vessels using data from CT angiography, a scanning technique that can diagnosis peripheral arterial disease. He will validate the model using wire measurements from patients. This research could provide a non-invasive test to help doctors assess blood flow in blocked leg vessels and then choose the best treatment, which ultimately may reduce leg amputations.