Analysis of the biomechanical behavior of veins at different venous hierarchy levels under the influence of gravity
Author affiliations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15625/0866-7136/23907Keywords:
veins, hierarchical classification, lower extremities, blood pressure, fluid-structure interactionAbstract
Veins across different anatomical regions fulfill distinct physiological roles, resulting in a hierarchical classification of venous structures. Investigating the behavior of veins at various hierarchical levels offers valuable insights into the predominant occurrence of varicose veins in the lower extremities. Despite this, the identification and evaluation of the factors contributing to varicose veins remain inadequately defined and inconsistently applied within the current body of research. Gravitational force plays a crucial role in determining venous blood pressure, which is influenced by the height difference between two points within the "hydrostatic column". This pressure directly affects blood flow velocity and volume, as well as the size of the vessels connecting points at varying elevations. In an upright posture, gravitational force leads to an increased pressure in the veins below the heart, particularly in the lower extremities. This elevated pressure causes the venous walls to distend, leading to a significant increase in von Mises stress in areas subjected to substantial strain. Accordingly, this study aims to rigorously assess the impact of gravitational force on venous function across different hierarchical levels. Through the analysis of Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations using ANSYS, followed by a comparison with existing research on varicose vein pathology, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the factors influencing venous return, complementing the primary mechanisms that contribute to venous insufficiency.
Downloads
References
Afzal, M. J., Tayyaba, S., Ashrf, M. W., & Yasin, M. I. (2021). Study of Constricted Blood Vessels through ANSYS Fluent. Biologia, 66, 197–201.
Antani, M. R., & Dattilo, J. B. (2023). Varicose Veins. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470194/
Ariane, M., Vigolo, D., Brill, A., Nash, F. G. B., Barigou, M., & Alexiadis, A. (2018). Using Discrete Multi-Physics for studying the dynamics of emboli in flexible venous valves. Computers & Fluids, 166, 57–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compfluid.2018.01.037
Assi, I. Z., Lynch, S. R., Samulak, K., Williams, D. M., Wakefield, T. W., Obi, A. T., & Figueroa, C. A. (2023). An ultrasound imaging and computational fluid dynamics protocol to assess hemodynamics in iliac vein compression syndrome. Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders, 11(5), 1023-1033.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsv.2023.05.017
Aziz, N. S. bt, Ibrahim, N. bt, Abdullah, K., & Harun, N. H. I. bt M. (2016). Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation on Blood Velocity and Vorticity of Venous Valve Behaviour. In 9th International Conference on Robotic, Vision, Signal Processing and Power Applications (pp. 617–625). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1721-6_67
Beebe-Dimmer, J. L., Pfeifer, J. R., Engle, J. S., & Schottenfeld, D. (2005). The epidemiology of chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins. Annals of Epidemiology, 15(3), 175–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2004.05.015
Bemmelen, P. S. van, Beach, K., Bedford, G., & Jr, D. E. S. (1990). The mechanism of venous valve closure: Its relationship to the velocity of reverse flow. Archives of Surgery, 125(5), 617–619. https://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1990.01410170063013
Camasão, D. B., & Mantovani, D. (2021). The mechanical characterization of blood vessels and their substitutes in the continuous quest for physiological-relevant performances: A critical review. Materials Today Bio, 10, 100106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2021.100106
Carpentier, P. H., Maricq, H. R., Biro, C., Ponçot-Makinen, C. O., & Franco, A. (2004). Prevalence, risk factors, and clinical patterns of chronic venous disorders of lower limbs: A population-based study in France. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 40(4), 650–659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2004.07.025
Hall, J. E. (2016). Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hamdan, A. (2012). Management of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. JAMA, 308(24), 2612–2621. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.111352
Ibrahim, N., Aziz, N., Kamil, M., & Hong, G. (2021). Simulation Study on Blood Flow Mechanism of Vein in Existence of Different Thrombus Size. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.14569/ijacsa.2021.0120217
Karimi, A., Navidbakhsh, M., & Kudo, S. (2015). A comparative study on the mechanical properties of the healthy and varicose human saphenous vein under uniaxial loading. Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology, 39(8), 490–497. https://doi.org/10.3109/03091902.2015.1086030
Karimi, A., Razaghi, R., Shojaei, A., & Navidbakhsh, M. (2015). An experimental-nonlinear finite element study of a balloon expandable stent inside a realistic stenotic human coronary artery to investigate plaque and arterial wall injury. Biomedical Engineering/Biomedizinische Technik, 60(6), 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1515/bmt-2014-0144
Liu, X., & Liu, L. (2019). Effect of valve lesion on venous valve cycle: A modified immersed finite element modeling. PLoS ONE, 14(3), e0213012. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213012
Lurie, F., Kistner, R. L., Eklof, B., & Kessler, D. (2003). Mechanism of venous valve closure and role of the valve in circulation: A new concept. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 38(5), 955–961. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0741-5214(03)00711-0
Moghanlou, F., Hajati, Z., Vajdi, M., Razavi, S., & Matin, S. (2020). Fluid Structure Interaction of blood flow around a vein valve. BioImpacts, 10(3), 169–175. https://doi.org/10.34172/bi.2020.21
Mooney, M. (1940). A Theory of Large Elastic Deformation. Journal of Applied Physics, 11(9), 582–592. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1712836
Razaghi, R., Karimi, A., Rahmani, S., & Navidbakhsh, M. (2015). A computational fluid-structure interaction model of the blood flow in the healthy and varicose saphenous vein. Vascular, 24(3), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1708538115594095
Rivlin, R. S. (1948). Large elastic deformations of isotropic materials. II. Some uniqueness theorems for pure, homogeneous deformation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 240(822), 491–508. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.1948.0003
Selis, J. E., & Kadakia, S. (2009). Venous Doppler sonography of the extremities: A window to pathology of the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis. American Journal of Roentgenology, 193(5), 1446–1451. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.09.2640
Simão, M., Ferreira, J. M., Rodriguez, J. M., & Ramos, H. M. (2016). Identification of DVT diseases using numerical simulations. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 54(10), 1591–1609. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-015-1446-9
Soifer, E., Weiss, D., Marom, G., & Einav, S. (2016). The effect of pathologic venous valve on neighboring valves: Fluid-structure interactions modeling. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 55(6), 991–999. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-016-1575-9
Wang, B., Feng, L., Xu, L., Gao, H., Luo, X., & Qi, N. (2025). Three-dimensional fluid-structure interaction modelling of the venous valve using immersed boundary/finite element method. Computers in Biology and Medicine, 185, 109450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109450
Weizsacker, H. W., & Pinto, J. G. (1988). Isotropy and anisotropy of the arterial wall. Journal of Biomechanics, 21(6), 477–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9290(88)90240-0
Whiteley, M. S. (2022). Current Best Practice in the Management of Varicose Veins. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, Volume 15, 567–583. https://doi.org/10.2147/ccid.s294990
Wijeratne, N. S., & Hoo, K. (2008). Numerical studies on the hemodynamics in the human vein and venous valve. 2008 American Control Conference, 147–152. https://doi.org/10.1109/acc.2008.4586482
Yen, N. T. H. (2021). Relationship between some risk factors and chronic venous insufficiency in over-50-year-old patients. Journal of 108-Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy, 16(3), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.52389/ydls.v16i3.752
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
