Influence of vasoactive drugs on wall shear stress distribution in the abdominal aortic bifurcation: an in vitro study.

The present study compares the wall shear stress (rate) distribution in a compliant aortic bifurcation model under three different hemodynamic states: normal state, angiotensin II infusion state (vasoconstrictor), and isoproterenol infusion state (vasodilator). Using a Newtonian blood analog fluid, flow wave forms corresponding to each flow state were generated in an in vitro flow loop and a photographic flow visualization technique was employed to measure wall shear rate. The results indicate a zone of low mean wall shear stress and highly oscillatory shear stress on the outer (lateral) wall of the bifurcation. In this zone, the mean wall shear stress became negative for all three hemodynamic states indicating flow separation. However, the spatial extent of the flow separation zone was not affected significantly by the flow state. The study also revealed a large spatial variation of the phase angle between the hoop strain (circumferential strain due to radial artery expansion) and the wall shear stress, the two main mechanical stimuli acting on endothelial cells which affect their biology. In the zone of low mean wall shear stress on the outer wall, the two stimuli were more out of phase relative to the mother branch, whereas they were less out of phase (by about 50 degrees) on the inner wall (flow divider side). This phase angle was affected significantly by the flow state. For angiotensin II, the phase angle reached a maximum of 125 degrees in the low mean shear zone while the maximum was 94 degrees and 66 degrees for the normal and isoproterenol states, respectively. Our observation that large phase angles between the hoop strain and wall shear stress wave forms are localized in the low shear stress region where atherosclerotic disease occurs suggests the possible physiological relevance of this phase angle to the development of atherosclerosis.