• thoracic aorta
• hemodynamics
• computational fluid dynamics
• CFD
• fluid-structure interaction
• FSI
• radial basis functions
• RBF
• wall compliance

Thoracic aorta diseases are estimated to affect 3-6 per 100000 people every year but their epidemiology is challenging to investigate because of their silent nature and the lack of a screening programme.
Recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between the hemodynamics of thoracic aorta and the onset and progression of thoracic aorta diseases.
Computer-based simulations represent a powerful tool for the assessment of blood flow. Currently, two major approaches have been employed for the in-silico studies of the hemodynamics of thoracic aorta. The first one is embodied by the traditional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). As CFD is based on the rigid wall assumption, it affects the estimation of hemodynamic parameters. The second approach is represented by the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) which has higher computational costs and needs additional structural information on the aortic wall, difficult to be defined in-vivo.
In order to overcome limitations of both CFD and FSI, this thesis work was aimed to develop a novel procedure that integrated RBF mesh morphing techniques and cubic spline interpolation to follow the geometrical variations of the thoracic aorta throughout the entire cardiac cycle.
The outcomes of the simulation based on the proposed approach, in terms of pressure, volume flow rate, velocity magnitude and the main hemodynamic indices, identified the new described procedure as a powerful simulation strategy that considers shape modifications of the thoracic aorta and reduces computational times in respect to FSI method.