TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of reverse flow on the pattern of wall shear stress near arterial branches
AU - Kazakidi, A.
AU - Plata, A. M.
AU - Sherwin, S. J.
AU - Weinberg, P. D.
PY - 2011/11/7
Y1 - 2011/11/7
N2 - Atherosclerotic lesions have a patchy distribution within arteries that suggests a controlling influence of haemodynamic stresses on their development. The distribution near aortic branches varies with age and species, perhaps reflecting differences in these stresses. Our previous work, which assumed steady flow, revealed a dependence of wall shear stress (WSS) patterns on Reynolds number and side-branch flow rate. Here, we examine effects of pulsatile flow. Flow and WSS patterns were computed by applying high-order unstructured spectral/ hp element methods to the Newtonian incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in a geometrically simplified model of an aorto-intercostal junction. The effect of pulsatile but non-reversing side-branch flow was small; the aortic WSS pattern resembled that obtained under steady flow conditions, with high WSS upstream and downstream of the branch. When flow in the side branch or in the aortic near-wall region reversed during part of the cycle, significantly different instantaneous patterns were generated, with low WSS appearing upstream and downstream. Time-averaged WSS was similar to the steady flow case, reflecting the short duration of these events, but patterns of the oscillatory shear index for reversing aortic near-wall flow were profoundly altered. Effects of reverse flow may help explain the different distributions of lesions.
AB - Atherosclerotic lesions have a patchy distribution within arteries that suggests a controlling influence of haemodynamic stresses on their development. The distribution near aortic branches varies with age and species, perhaps reflecting differences in these stresses. Our previous work, which assumed steady flow, revealed a dependence of wall shear stress (WSS) patterns on Reynolds number and side-branch flow rate. Here, we examine effects of pulsatile flow. Flow and WSS patterns were computed by applying high-order unstructured spectral/ hp element methods to the Newtonian incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in a geometrically simplified model of an aorto-intercostal junction. The effect of pulsatile but non-reversing side-branch flow was small; the aortic WSS pattern resembled that obtained under steady flow conditions, with high WSS upstream and downstream of the branch. When flow in the side branch or in the aortic near-wall region reversed during part of the cycle, significantly different instantaneous patterns were generated, with low WSS appearing upstream and downstream. Time-averaged WSS was similar to the steady flow case, reflecting the short duration of these events, but patterns of the oscillatory shear index for reversing aortic near-wall flow were profoundly altered. Effects of reverse flow may help explain the different distributions of lesions.
KW - arterial branches
KW - atherosclerosis
KW - haemodynamics
KW - oscillatory shear index
KW - reverse flow
KW - wall shear stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80054765933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/
U2 - 10.1098/rsif.2011.0108
DO - 10.1098/rsif.2011.0108
M3 - Article
C2 - 21508011
AN - SCOPUS:80054765933
SN - 1742-5689
VL - 8
SP - 1594
EP - 1603
JO - Interface
JF - Interface
IS - 64
ER -