Uncertainty quantification
A model used for diagnosis has to state how much its answer moves when its inputs are uncertain, and which inputs are responsible.
What moves the answer
We applied global sensitivity analysis to a calibrated one-dimensional coronary model under realistic pulsatile conditions. Intramyocardial pressure, myocardial contractility and systolic duration dominate the variation in computed fractional flow reserve; most other physiological parameters contribute little.
The index is otherwise robust, but its scatter grows systematically as the narrowing becomes more severe — which is the regime where the clinical decision is closest to the threshold. Geometry, boundary conditions and blood viscosity each contribute in different proportions depending on the vessel.
Selected work
Uncertainty quantification of fractional flow reserve under pulsatile physiology
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
Uncertainty quantification in coronary blood flow simulations: impact of geometry, boundary conditions and blood viscosity
Journal of Biomechanics 49(12):2540–2547