Simple pulsatile flow in an artery with a constriction.
A smooth isolated, axisymmetric occlusion in a straight vascular tube is a tractable problem for pulsatile flow calculations via finite-difference approximations to the Navier-Stokes equation. Steady flow depends on the Reynolds number and two geometric parameters which describe the stenosis. The mere addition of a simple harmonic to the mean flow adds two more parameters. One is the reduced frequency, or Strokes number, and the other epsilon, the ratio of unsteady to steady flux. After describing steady stenosis flow examples, the dynamic patterns of pulsatile flow are illustrated indicating the inadequacy of basing hypotheses of atherosclerosis on mean (steady) flow.
D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001158:Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D012212:Rheology