Ramona Lorenz1, Jelena Bock1, Aurlien F. Stalder1, Christoph Benk2, Jrgen Hennig1, Michael Markl1
1Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany; 2Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany
Flow sensitive 4D MRI offers the ability to assess anatomy and flow characteristics in healthy and pathological blood vessels and is a promising tool for the diagnosis of vascular diseases. However, in-vivo studies do not allow the prediction of hemodynamic changes due to vascular modifications. Realistic vascular in-vitro phantoms in combination with MRI flow measurements allow to model different vascular deformations and evaluate their effect on flow dynamics. In this study in-vivo 3D flow characteristics in a patient with an ascending aortic aneurysm were compared to flow measured in a realistic in-vitro vessel model developed from the patient's aortic anatomy.