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Wall shear stress (WSS), a parameter associated with endothelial function, is calculated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) or phase-contrast (PC) MRI measurements. Although CFD is common in WSS (WSSCFD) calculations, PC-MRI-based WSS (WSSMRI) is more favorable in population studies; since it is straightforward and less time consuming. However, it is not clear if WSSMRI and WSSCFD show similar associations with vascular pathology. Our aim was to test the associations between wall thickness (WT) of the carotid arteries and WSSMRI and WSSCFD. The subjects (n=14) with an asymptomatic carotid plaque who underwent MRI scans two times within 4 years of time were selected from the Rotterdam Study. We compared WSSCFD and WSSMRI at baseline and follow-up. Baseline WSSMRI and WSSCFD values were divided into 3 categories representing low, medium and high WSS tertiles. WT of each tertile was compared by a one-way ANOVA test. The WSSMRI and WSSCFD were 0.50±0.13Pa and 0.73±0.25Pa at baseline. Although WSSMRI was underestimated, a significant regression was found between WSSMRI and WSSCFD (r(2)=0.71). No significant difference was found between baseline and follow-up WSS by CFD and MRI-based calculations. The WT at baseline was 1.36±0.16mm and did not change over time. The WT was 1.55±0.21mm in low, 1.33±0.20mm in medium and 1.21±0.21mm in the high WSSMRI tertiles. Similarly, the WT was 1.49±0.21mm in low, 1.33±0.20mm in medium and 1.26±0.21mm in high WSSCFD tertiles. We found that WSSMRI and WSSCFD were inversely related with WT. WSSMRI and WSSCFD patterns were similar although MRI-based calculations underestimated WSS., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Viscous dissipation inside Fontan circulation, a parameter associated with the exercise intolerance of Fontan patients, can be derived from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) or 4D flow MRI velocities. However, the impact of spatial resolution and measurement noise on the estimation of viscous dissipation is unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of these parameters on viscous dissipation calculation. Six Fontan patients underwent whole heart 4D flow MRI. Subject-specific CFD simulations were performed. The CFD velocities were down-sampled to isotropic spatial resolutions of 0.5mm, 1mm, 2mm and to MRI resolution. Viscous dissipation was compared between (1) high resolution CFD velocities, (2) CFD velocities down-sampled to MRI resolution, (3) down-sampled CFD velocities with MRI mimicked noise levels, and (4) in-vivo 4D flow MRI velocities. Relative viscous dissipation between subjects was also calculated. 4D flow MRI velocities (15.6 ± 3.8 cm/s) were higher, although not significantly different than CFD velocities (13.8 ± 4.7 cm/s, p=0.16), down-sampled CFD velocities (12.3 ± 4.4 cm/s, p=0.06) and the down-sampled CFD velocities with noise (13.2 ± 4.2 cm/s, p=0.06). CFD-based viscous dissipation (0.81 ± 0.55 mW) was significantly higher than those based on down-sampled CFD (0.25 ± 0.19 mW, p=0.03), down-sampled CFD with noise (0.49 ± 0.26 mW, p=0.03) and 4D flow MRI (0.56 ± 0.28 mW, p=0.06). Nevertheless, relative viscous dissipation between different subjects was maintained irrespective of resolution and noise, suggesting that comparison of viscous dissipation between patients is still possible., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)