Effect of the fluid-structure interactions on low-density lipoprotein transport within a multi-layered arterial wall

The effects of fluid structure interactions (FSI) and pulsation on the transport of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) through an arterial wall are analyzed in this work. To this end, a comprehensive multi-layer model for both LDL transport as well as fluid structure interaction (FSI) is introduced. The constructed model is analyzed and compared with the existing results in the limiting cases. Excellent agreement is found between the presented model and the existing results in the limiting cases. The presented model takes into account the complete multi-layered LDL transport while incorporating the FSI aspects to enable a comprehensive study of the deformation effect on the pertinent parameters of the transport processes within an artery. Since the flow inside an artery is time-dependent, the impact of pulsatile flow is also analyzed with and without FSI. A detailed analysis is presented to illustrate the consequence of different factors on the LDL transport in an artery. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.