Fig. 6

Interpretation of the effect of branch angle on blood flow patterns by visualizing the pathlines and vector fields. (a) Numerical simulations of the bifurcating flow model with a 30-degree bifurcation angle. The reverse flow zone is observed along the outer wall side of the side branch. The length of the reverse flow zone is longer, and the height of the reverse flow zone is lower (narrower) than 90-degree model (Supplementary movie 1). (b) Numerical simulations of the bifurcating flow model with a 90-degree bifurcation angle. The reverse flow zone is observed along the outer wall side of the side branch. The length of the reverse flow zone is shorter, and the height of the reverse flow zone is higher (wider) than 30-degree model (Supplementary movie 2).