Turbulent pressure fluctuations on surface of model vascular stenoses

Turbulence frequently develops when blood passes through a stenosis. To study the hypothesis that turbulence near a plaque surface can cause pressure fluctuations that may promote plaque rupture, models of intravascular stenoses were studied. Experimental conditions simulated peak flow in the coronary and carotid arteries through a stenosis of 80 or 90% diameter reduction and into a region where the plaque had widened distally to a 50-75% stenosis. For symmetric stenoses at carotid artery flow rates, peak pressure fluctuations were observed 1-1.5 upstream diameters distal to the stenosis, but there were no significant turbulent pressure fluctuations at coronary artery flow rates. Stenosis asymmetry strongly increased the intensity of turbulent pressure fluctuations at flows simulating carotid flow and resulted in significant pressure fluctuations for coronary flow conditions. Increasing stenosis severity from 80 to 90% increased the root mean square pressure fluctuations 3.6-fold. These studies predict peak to peak pressure fluctuations of 15 mmHg in a 90% asymmetric coronary stenosis; it is possible that turbulence may play a role in acute damage of atherosclerotic plaques, particularly in asymmetric stenoses.