A Bifurcation-Based Domain Decomposition Method with Neural Operators for Blood Flow Simulation
TL;DR
An operator network capable of mapping unit-specific parameters to the local solution fields of each bifurcation unit is developed and the resulting pulse wave velocity biomarkers agree with the conventional reference to within 1--2%, and the same trained operator generalizes to different tree-like 1D vascular network topologies.
Abstract
Fast and accurate simulation of hemodynamic behavior within vascular networks is essential for numerous clinical applications. However, obtaining high-quality and computationally efficient flow measurements across complex vascular networks remains challenging. To address this, we first decompose the vascular network into a set of bifurcation units and then develop an operator network capable of mapping unit-specific parameters to the local solution fields of each bifurcation unit. By lumping the Windkessel-model outlet parameters and incorporating inlet boundary conditions from the solution of parent units, the flow and pressure fields can be rapidly approximated. Subsequently, operator-network-driven Schwarz waveform relaxation is applied across bifurcation units to correct discontinuities and improve numerical accuracy. On 7-segment and 55-segment arterial tree models, the proposed method achieves $13\times$ to $17\times$ wall-clock speedups over conventional 1D numerical simulation, with relative $L^2$ errors of 1% in both pressure and velocity. The resulting pulse wave velocity biomarkers agree with the conventional reference to within 1--2%, and the same trained operator generalizes to different tree-like 1D vascular network topologies.