title: Twisted blood vessels: symptoms, etiology and biomechanical mechanisms.
abstract: Tortuous arteries and veins are commonly observed in humans and animals. While mild tortuosity is asymptomatic, severe tortuosity can lead to ischemic attack in distal organs. Clinical observations have linked tortuous arteries and veins with aging, atherosclerosis, hypertension, genetic defects and diabetes mellitus. However, the mechanisms of their formation and development are poorly understood. This review summarizes the current clinical and biomechanical studies on the initiation, development and treatment of tortuous blood vessels. We submit a new hypothesis that mechanical instability and remodeling could be mechanisms for the initiation and development of these tortuous vessels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA. hchan@utsa.edu
authors.forename: Hai-Chao
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D014102:Torsion Abnormality / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D054159:Torsion, Mechanical; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000503:physiopathology; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*