A mathematical model of the flow in the posterior communicating arteries.

This paper reports on a mathematical model designed to study the hemodynamics of one posterior communicating artery and its afferent and efferent vessels. The variables in the model are the diameter of the posterior communicating artery, the resistance in the vertebral artery and the ratio of the two peripheral resistances. In the model, the "posterior communicating artery" exhibits a compensatory capacity, as defined in the introduction, which appears to be independent of its diameter. The fluxes in the efferent vessels are dominated by the peripheral resistances.