Multiscale Modeling Of Targeted Drug Delivery And DIEP Flap Perfusion

Advances in computational techniques have changed diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. This thesis work is composed of developing computational models in two application areas: nanomedicine and determining DIEP flap perfusion for reconstructive surgery. Nanomedicine poses a new frontier in medical technology with the advantages of targeted delivery and patient specific medicine. Current advances in nanomedicine are aiding the discovery and rationale design of many new classes of nanoparticles as drug delivery vectors for cancer treatment and image enhancing. An important advantage of targeted drug delivery is reduced drug dosage that enables the minimization of adverse effects associated with elevated drug concentrations. In applications of nanoparticle targeted drug delivery, the delivery efficiency is controlled by the physical properties of the nanoparticle such as its size, shape as well as external environmental conditions such as flow rate and blood vessel diameter. Proper drug dosage choice relies on determination of the attachment and detachment rates of nanoparticles and understanding the complex process of targeted drug delivery. A combined particulate and continuum model is developed to understand the binding dynamics of nanoparticles under vascular conditions. The effect of shear rate, particle size and binding rates on bound density of nanoparticles is explored using the multiscale model. The developed multiscale model is expected to give insights into the complex drug delivery process. Another aspect of the computational modeling is to determine the number and position of perforators for perfusion of Deep Inferior Epigastric artery Perforator (DIEP) flap for breast reconstructive surgery. DIEP is a tissue flap procedure that uses fat and skin from the abdomen to create a new breast mound after a mastectomy. A DIEP flap includes the movement of an artery and vein from the tissue flap to the chest so that the transplanted tissue can be supplied with blood. Usually additional perforators may be dissected and included with the flap for additional perfusion based on the size of the flap. The number and position of perforators play a vital role in keeping the tissue alive for successful reconstruction. The goal of this thesis work is to establish a numerical tool to determine the number of perforators as well as the position of perforators for optional perfusion based on specific vascular geometry.