Serial analysis of lumen geometry and hemodynamics in human arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis using magnetic resonance imaging and computational fluid dynamics

The arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred form of vascular access for maintenance hemodialysis, but it often fails to mature to become clinically usable, likely due to aberrant hemodynamic forces. A robust pipeline for serial assessment of hemodynamic parameters and subsequent lumen cross-sectional area changes has been developed and applied to a data set from contrast-free MRI of a dialysis patient's AVF collected over a period of months after AVF creation surgery. Black-blood MRI yielded images of AVF lumen geometry, while cine phase-contrast MRI provided volumetric flow rates at the in-flow and out-flow locations. Lumen geometry and flow rates were used as inputs for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to provide serial wall shear stress (WSS), WSS gradient, and oscillatory shear index (OSI) profiles. The serial AVF lumen geometries were co-registered at 1 mm intervals using respective lumen centerlines, with the anastomosis as an anatomical landmark. Lumen enlargement was limited at the vein region near the anastomosis and a downstream vein valve, potentially attributed to the physical inhibition of wall expansion at those sites. This work is the first serial and detail study of lumen and hemodynamic changes in human AVF using MRI and CFD. This novel protocol will be used for a multicenter prospective study to identify critical hemodynamic factors that contribute to AVF maturation failure.