title: Hemodynamic effects of long-term morphological changes in the human carotid sinus.
abstract: Previous investigations of morphology for human carotid artery bifurcation from infancy to young adulthood found substantial growth of the internal carotid artery with advancing age, and the development of the carotid sinus at the root of the internal carotid artery during teenage years. Although the reasons for the appearance of the carotid sinus are not clearly understood yet, it has been hypothesized that the dilation of the carotid sinus serves to support pressure sensing, and slows the blood flow to reduce pulsatility to protect the brain. In order to understand this interesting evolvement at the carotid bifurcation in the aspects of fluid mechanics, we performed in vitro phase-contrast MR flow experiments using compliant silicone replicas of age-dependent carotid artery bifurcations. The silicone models in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood were fabricated using a rapid prototyping technique, and incorporated with a bench-top flow mock circulation loop using a computer-controlled piston pump. The results of the in vitro flow study showed highly complex flow characteristics at the bifurcation in all age-dependent models. However, the highest magnitude of kinetic energy was found at the internal carotid artery in the child model. The high kinetic energy in the internal carotid artery during childhood might be one of the local hemodynamic forces that initiate morphological long-term development of the carotid sinus in the human carotid bifurcation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768, USA. Electronic address: jseong@cpp.edu.
authors.forename: Jaehoon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seong
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering and Physics, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Woowon
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Nataliya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Rheal A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Towner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000502:physiology*; D002346:Carotid Sinus / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Carotid morphology; Carotid sinus; Phase-contrast MRI; Silicone model