Review of Experimental Modelling in Vascular Access for Hemodialysis

This paper reviews applications of experimental modelling in vascular access for hemodialysis. Different techniques that are used in in-vitro experiments are bulk pressure and flow rate measurements, Laser Doppler Velocimetry and Vector Doppler Ultrasound point velocity measurements, and whole-field measurements such as Particle Image Velocimetry, Ultrasound Imaging Velocimetry, Colour Doppler Ultrasound, and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence. Of these methods, the ultrasound techniques can also be used in-vivo, to provide realistic boundary conditions to in-vitro experiments or numerical simulations. In the reviewed work, experimental modelling is mainly used to support computational models, but also in some cases as a tool on its own. It is concluded that, to further advance the utility of computational modelling in vascular access research, a rigorous verification and validation procedure should be adopted. Experimental modelling can play an important role in both in-vitro validation, and the quantification of the accuracy, uncertainty, and reproducibility of in-vivo measurement methods.