A Patient-Specific Computational Fluid Dynamics Model of the Left Atrium in Atrial Fibrillation: Development and Initial Evaluation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated to a five-fold increase in the risk of stroke and AF strokes are especially severe. Stroke risk is connected to several AF related morphological and functional remodeling mechanisms which favor blood stasis and clot formation inside the left atrium. Yet, stroke risk scores used clinically are based on very generic empirical factors and, hence, their reported predictive power remains low. The goal of this study was therefore to develop a patient-specific computational fluid dynamics model of the left atrium which could quantify the hemodynamic implications of atrial fibrillation on a patient-specific basis. Our analysis can provide a suitable tool for stroke risk stratification and therapy planning. In this paper, we present the developed model as well as its application to two AF patients.