Post-stenotic core flow behavior in pulsatile flow and its effects on wall shear stress

Arteries of several species, including man, tend to adjust their diameters such that the mean wall shear stress is in the range of 10-20 dynes cm-2. Additionally, intimal thickening in the human carotid bifurcation correlates well with the reciprocal of wall shear stress as determined in model studies. The correlation indicates that wherever the local mean wall shear stress exceeds approximately 10 dynes cm-2, the artery tends to be spared from intimal thickening. However, it is not known whether mean shear stress, i.e. the time-averaged value, or the instantaneous shear stress is the appropriate correlative variable. Each of these variables suggests different mechanisms for the reaction of the artery wall to its hemodynamic environment. It is therefore important to devise means by which the effects of mean shear and pulsatile shear can be separated in the study of atherogenesis. The present investigation examines the post-stenotic flow field in Plexiglas models under pulsatile conditions approximating those in the aortas of the cynomolgus monkey, an animal often employed in atherogenesis research. Behavior of the core flow and its effects on wall shear stress are studied for stenoses of 75 and 90% area reductions using laser velocimetry. The results show that the post-stenotic field contains regions in which the mean wall shear stress is low, but the pulsatile excursions are large.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)