Study of helical flow inducers with different thread pitches and diameters in vena cava

Pulmonary embolism is a severe, potentially life-threatening condition. Inferior vena cava filters have been used to prevent recurrent pulmonary embolisms. However, the build-up of thrombosis in vena cava filters after deployment presents a severe problem to patients. Previous studies proposed that filters with helical flow are beneficial and capable of alleviating this problem. In this study, the hemodynamic performances of four typical helical flow inducers in the vena cava are determined using computational fluid dynamics simulations (steady-state and pulsatile flow) and compared. Pilot in vitro experiments were also conducted. The simulation results demonstrate that large-diameter inducers produce helical flow. Among inducers with identical diameter, those with a smaller thread pitch are more likely to induce increased helical flow. We also observed that the small thread pitch inducers can yield higher shear rates. Furthermore, a large diameter, small thread pitch helical flow inducer increases the time-averaged wall shear stress and reduces the oscillating shear index and relative residence time on the vessel wall in the vicinity of the helical flow inducer. In vitro experiments also verify that large diameter inducers generate a helical flow. A notable observation of this study is that the diameter is the key parameter that affects the induction of a helical flow. This study will likely provide important guidance for the design of interventional treatments and the deployment of filters associated with helical flow in the vena cava.