A MATHEMATICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL MODEL OF BLOOD FLOW REGULATION IN MICROVESSELS: APPLICATION TO THE EYE RETINA CIRCULATION

This paper presents a mathematical model and a computational framework for the resolution of large networks of distensible blood microvessels characterized by a hierarchy of different diameters. We analyze the contribution of different distensibility relations, representing both active and passive responses in the case of the microvascular network in the eye retina. Model predictions indicate that, depending on the geometrical (hierarchical) location in the network, distensibility effects may be significantly different and lead, over long times, to possible geometrically-driven remodeling processes.