Research · 2026
Virtual Stenting in the Fontan Circulation
B.S. honors thesis: simulating how virtual stent placement changes hemodynamics in the Fontan circulation at rest and during exercise, using patient-specific CFD.
Role: Honors Thesis · Marsden Lab (advisor: Dr. Alison Marsden)
Overview
Patients with single-ventricle congenital heart disease undergo the Fontan operation, which can leave regions of elevated pressure and abnormal flow. This honors thesis — conducted in Dr. Alison Marsden's lab — builds patient-specific 3D models of the Fontan circulation in SimVascular, virtually places stents to modify the geometry, and runs computational fluid dynamics simulations to quantify the hemodynamic effects (pressure drop and flow) at rest and during exercise across multiple patients.
Highlights
- Built patient-specific 3D Fontan models from imaging in SimVascular: vessel pathing, segmentation, volumetric meshing, and centerline generation.
- Virtually placed stents to modify conduit geometry and simulated pre- vs. post-stent hemodynamics with CFD.
- Quantified pressure-drop and flow metrics at rest and during exercise across patients, reporting percent change after stenting.
Tech & topics
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
- SimVascular
- Cardiovascular
- Medical Imaging
- Python
- Simulation