A three-dimensional particle simulation of the formation and collapse of a primary thrombus

This report presents a technique based on the particle method to simulate the process of thrombogenesis while considering platelet aggregation under the influence of fluid dynamics. In the employed particle method, the blood region was discretized by particles that were assumed to have the characteristics of plasma and platelets. The moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method developed for incompressible viscous flow was applied to the flow of plasma and platelets. Adhesion of platelets to the injured vessel wall was expressed by a spring force acting between them. The same modeling was applied for the aggregation of platelets. Three-dimensional computer simulation of thrombogenesis was performed in a rectangular flow channel under the condition of Re=0.02. We demonstrated that the proposed method can simulate the formation and destruction of a thrombus with the inclusion of feedback reactions of thrombus development and flow. The results revealed that the growth rate of a thrombus, its height, and time required from the beginning of thrombus formation to its collapse vary according to the flow rate, indicating that flow dynamics plays an important role in regulating the development of a primary thrombus. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.