Smartphone-based particle tracking velocimetry for the in vitro assessment of coronary flows

• Published in: Medical engineering & physics 2024-04, Vol.126, p.104144-104144, Article 104144
• Main Authors: Torta, Elena, Griffo, Bianca, Caridi, Giuseppe C.A., De Nisco, Giuseppe, Chiastra, Claudio, Morbiducci, Umberto, Gallo, Diego
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood Flow Velocity; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; Coronary arteries; Low-power laser; Particle image velocimetry; Particle tracking velocimetry; Phantoms, Imaging; Rheology - methods; Smartphone
• ISSN: 1350-4533; 1873-4030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2024.104144

•Smartphone-based setup allows particle tracking velocimetry of coronary flows.•The setup is sustainable, versatile, easy to use, safe and low-cost.•Lagrangian and Eulerian quantities can be extracted accurately.•Applicability is affected by acquisition frequency and camera shutter speed.•The setup enables preliminary flow investigations at remarkably low costs. The present study adopts a smartphone-based approach for the experimental characterization of coronary flows. Technically, Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) measurements were performed using a smartphone camera and a low-power continuous wave laser in realistic healthy and stenosed phantoms of left anterior descending artery with inflow Reynolds numbers approximately ranging from 20 to 200. A Lagrangian–Eulerian mapping was performed to convert Lagrangian PTV velocity data to a Eulerian grid. Eulerian velocity and vorticity data obtained from smartphone-based PTV measurements were compared with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements performed with a smartphone-based setup and with a conventional setup based on a high-power double-pulsed laser and a CMOS camera. Smartphone-based PTV and PIV velocity flow fields substantially agreed with conventional PIV measurements, with the former characterized by lower average percentage differences than the latter. Discrepancies emerged at high flow regimes, especially at the stenosis throat, due to particle image blur generated by smartphone camera shutter speed and image acquisition frequency. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrate the feasibility of PTV measurements using a smartphone camera and a low-power light source for the in vitro characterization of cardiovascular flows for research, industrial and educational purposes, with advantages in terms of costs, safety and usability.