Stresses and strains in the cone-shaped carotid sinus and their effects on baroreceptor functions

Two models are introduced to compute the stresses and strains inside the wall of the cone-shaped carotid sinus: a two-layered cylindrical disc model and a two-layered spherical cone model. While they differ in complexity and approach, they both yield very similar stress-strain distributions for various physiological load conditions. These stress-strain distributions are important for strain sensitive baroreceptors in several ways. (a) Both the size and the orientation of the baroreceptors change as strain levels in the wall change. (b) Large stress differences occur at the border between the media and the adventitia which could cause large baroreceptor deformations. (c) Two distinct solutions with different stress-strain fields exist for the cylindrical disc model. A switch from one solution to the other during a normal pressure cycle would also cause large baroreceptor deformations.