Potential Clinical Applications of Helical Flow Within the Human Arterial System / 医用生物力学

ABSTRACT

Due to the three-dimensional spiral-shaped geometry of aorta, the flow pattern within the human aorta is helical in late systole. Helical flow widely exists in the human arterial system as one typical flow pattern. Studies demonstrate that the helical flow plays a positive physiological role in facilitating blood flow transport, suppressing disturbed blood flow, preventing the accumulation of atherogenic low density lipoproteins on the luminal surfaces of arteries, enhancing oxygen transport from the blood to the arterial wall and reducing the adhesion of blood cells on the arterial surface. Therefore, the potential clinical applications of helical flow were summarized, so as to provide references for the optimal design of cardiovascular interventional therapies and devices.