Coupling of a perfusion model to a poroelastic-growth model for liver tissue regrowth
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Livers are able to regrow after injury. In practice, up to 75% of the liver can be removed during liver resections [1]. A liver resection is a common surgical procedure to remove part of the liver, mostly due to a tumor. Due to the multiscale nature of liver anatomy, the regrowth of the liver after resection is a process occurring over many scales which requires input and output values between different scales and is yet not fully understood. Currently no mechanistic mathematical model addresses liver regrowth after surgical resection. Since the liver is characterized by a high degree of vascularization, blood perfusion and tissue regrowth are closely linked. Investigating the influence of perfusion on the mechanical behavior of the liver is of utmost importance due to possible application in surgical planning and surgery assessment. A detailed understanding of liver tissue mechanics in relation to perfusion significantly improves many clinical treatment strategies, including suitable cut patterns during liver resections [2]. In this talk, we present a framework for modeling liver tissue based on coupling a poroelastic-growth model with a fluid network to describe liver tissue deformation and blood flow. We present numerical examples, demonstrating the capability of the methodology to model liver tissue regrowth. References [1] Michalopoulos GK., “Liver regeneration,” J. Cell. Physiol., 213, 286-300 (2007). [2] Ebrahem A., Jessen E., ten Eikelder M.F.P., Gangwar T., Mika M., Schillinger D., “Connecting continuum poroelasticity with discrete synthetic vascular trees for modeling liver tissue,” Preprint (https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.07412), (2023).