Application of computational biomechanics to clinical cardiovascular medicine

Cardiovascular diseases, particularly ischemic heart disease such as myocardial infarction (MI), are the leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Vascular diseases including MI share a common background, atherosclerosis, and a common final event, the breakage or destruction of vascular structure. Both the onset and final outcome of fatal vascular diseases are related to mechanical events that occur on the vascular wall, probably owing to alterations in blood flow. Consequently, the fluid-solid mechanical interactions between blood and the vascular wall must be analyzed in order to predict, diagnose, and prevent the fatal consequences of vascular disease. We need to use computational studies to elucidate the mechanism of such disease, to refine the diagnostic measures, and to develop therapeutic modalities, either invasive or non-invasive. In this review, we discuss why computational study is necessary, how a computational model is built, the pre-requisites for computation, and the pitfalls of interpreting computational studies.