Velocity profile distribution along an arterial vessel: way to improve detection of stenotic sites.

The influence of an arterial stenosis on the pattern of blood velocity spatial distribution is investigated. The blood velocity field in a human femoral artery in a stenotic state is computed by means of numerical simulation. Four distributions of velocity profiles along the vessel are shown, corresponding to four different instants of the cardiac cycle. The shape of the spatial pattern of the velocity profile is strongly perturbed by the stenosis: disturbances are so clear that an easy, precise localisation of the stenotic site is always possible, whatever instant of the cardiac cycle is considered. The reported results prove that a three-dimensional view of the velocity profile distribution along the vessel best emphasises the relevant haemodynamic information from a diagnostic point of view.