Physical, mathematical and numerical modelling of blood flow in cardiovascular disease

Editorial article for this edition of Medical Engineering and Physics. Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world today. It develops over many years as a consequence of complex biophysical interactions between blood and the vessel wall. These processes are mediated, in part, by mass transport and the dynamics of blood flow (haemodynamics), which, in turn, depend to a great extent on the local geometry and physical properties of the vessel wall. Whereas many of the relevant fluid dynamic quantities are difficult, if not impossible, to measure clinically, recent advances in computational modelling, medical imaging, physical modelling techniques and laboratory instrumentation afford researchers and clinicians the means to model the cardiovascular system with greater fidelity than ever before.