Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

In Vitro Model of Physiological and Pathological Blood Flow with Application to Investigations of Vascular Cell Remodeling
Published on: November 3, 2015
Effects of transients on pulsatile flow in arteries
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1226, USA. brereton@egr.msu.edu
Abstract:
Analytical solutions to the model problem of unsteady Newtonian fluid flow in straight, elastic-walled vessels can provide: theoretical insights into the flow of blood in arteries; a theoretical basis for clinical measurements in diagnoses of arterial flow rates; and guidance for boundary conditions in numerical simulations of flow in finite computational domains. However, while Womersley's analyses of blood flow assume solution forms that treat the flow as periodic and continuously unsteady, many flow variables in the smaller arteries are not continuously unsteady at all. They are characterized more accurately as rapid transient motions followed by a period of recovery to a stationary state, repeated in successive cycles. These flows are not continually unsteady ones described by Womersley's solutions but unsteady flows restarted from rest in each cycle, characterized as initial-boundary value problems. In this paper, we compare the Womersley and initial-boundary value solutions for model transients that stop then restart, explain these previously unreported limitations of Womersley's solutions, and demonstrate how the initial-boundary value solutions provide excellent agreement with measurements of blood flow in the anterior tibial and popliteal arteries of patients. Some consequences of these findings for understanding and interpreting measurements of blood flow, and for prescribing boundary conditions in computer simulations of arterial blood flow are discussed.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Pulse
The pulse serves as a clinical indicator...
Pulse
Pulse Rate and its Significance
Pulse rate, often measured in beats per minute (bpm), reflects the heart rate (HR), which is influenced by numerous factors such as stress, physical activity, and hormonal changes. A normal resting adult pulse rate falls between...
Transient Ischemic Attack l: Introduction
Autoregulation of Blood Flow
Chemical Signaling in Autoregulation
Chemical signaling operates at the precapillary sphincter level, inciting either contraction or relaxation.
Blood Flow
Turbulent Flow

