Water transport in the arterial wall--a theoretical study

Water transport in the arterial wall is studied using a mathematical model based on the theory for the consolidation of water saturated soils (Biot, 1941; Kenyon, 1976a). The intimal pressure is considered to be harmonic in time. Analytical results are obtained for both large and small consolidation times since both the situations are of physiological relevance. For large consolidation times, the filtration is confined to a thin boundary layer. Large pressure gradients exist within the boundary layer while the pressure gradient is negligible in the intermediate layer. Thus, the pulsatile flow is found to be confined to the boundary layer while a smaller mean flow exists throughout the wall.