The effect of modified Blalock-Taussig shunt size and coarctation severity on coronary perfusion after the Norwood operation

Background: The size of the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt and the additional presence of aortic coarctation can affect the hemodynamics of the Norwood physiology. Multiscale modeling was used to gather insight into the effects of these variables, in particular on coronary perfusion.

Methods: A model was reconstructed from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging data of a representative patient, and then simplified with computer-aided design software. Changes were systematically imposed to the semi-idealized three-dimensional model, resulting in a family of nine models (3-, 3.5-, and 4-mm shunt diameter; 0%, 60%, and 90% coarctation severity). Each model was coupled to a lumped parameter network representing the remainder of the circulation to run multiscale simulations. Simulations were repeated including the effect of preserved cerebral perfusion.

Results: The concomitant presence of a large shunt and tight coarctation was detrimental in terms of coronary perfusion (13.4% maximal reduction, 1.07 versus 0.927 mL/s) and oxygen delivery (29% maximum reduction, 422 versus 300 mL·min(-1)·m(-2)). A variation in the ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow from 0.9 to 1.6 also indicated a "stealing" phenomenon to the detriment of the coronary circulation. A difference could be further appreciated in the computational ventricular pressure-volume loops, with augmented systolic pressures and decreased stroke volumes for tighter coarctation. Accounting for constant cerebral perfusion did not produce substantially different results.

Conclusions: Multiscale simulations performed in a parametric fashion revealed a reduction in coronary perfusion in the presence of a large modified Blalock-Taussig shunt and severe coarctation in Norwood patients.