MODEL STUDY OF FLOW IN CURVED AND PLANAR ARTERIAL BIFURCATIONS

Velocity profile measurements were made for steady and pulsatile flow within rigid tube models of a curved and a planar arterial bifurcation with the intent of providing some insight into the fluid mechanical forces existing at such branches [in order to study the apparent predilection of atherosclerotic lesions for these sites of branching]. An example in the cardiovascular system of a curved bifurcation is the branching of the left common coronary artery into the left circumflex and left anterior descending coronary arteries where the vessels curve over the base of the heart and an example of a planar bifurcation is the branching of the abdominal aorta into the left and right iliac arteries. Point velocity measurements were carried out using a constant temperature hot-film anemometer system.