[A measurement and analysis on the dynamic changes of wall shear stress in altered arterial flow]

This study was designed to estimate the dynamic changes of wall shear stress in reduced arterial flow and hence to get a better understanding of its effect on the endothelial adaptive remodeling. Left common carotid arteries of experimental rabbits were ligated distal to the origin of the thyroid artery to reduce flow by about 90% in the carotid upstream of this branch, and the vessels were examined respectively at different time intervals. The changes of mean shear stress showed three different stages. The shear stress decreased significantly during postoperative 1 hour to 7 days, increased markedly after 7 days and returned to control levels after 30 days. These changes were closely related to the decreased arterial diameters. The results indicate that the shear stress may paly an important role in the arterial remodeling after alterations in blood flow.