Pulsatile Flow and the Susceptibility of Arteries to Atherosclerosis

该项目的目标是确定非定常流体动力学在动脉粥样硬化斑块的发生、进展、并发症和可能的消退中的作用。研究将集中在三种情况下的不稳定血流和早期动脉粥样硬化病变：人类颈动脉分叉、猴子胸降主动脉和人类腹主动脉。流体动力学的研究将集中在三维几何的非定常流动，脉动流动中相干和随机流动扰动的演变，以及非定常分离。生物学研究将探讨早期动脉粥样硬化病变的定量分布、分叉血管中内皮细胞的排列以及斑块组成与壁结构之间的关系。

The goal of this project is to determine the role of unsteady fluid dynamics in the initiation, progression, complication and possible regression of atherosclerotic plaques. Research will focus on unsteady flow and early atherosclerotic lesions in three situations: the human carotid bifurcation, the descending thoracic aorta of monkeys, and the human abdominal aorta. Fluid dynamics research will concentrate upon unsteady flows in three-dimensional geometries, the evolution of coherent and random flow disturbances during pulsatile flows, and unsteady separation. Biological research will investigate the quantitative distribution of early atherosclerotic lesions, the alignment of endothelial cells in bifurcating vessels, and the relation between plaque composition and wall structure.