Does the principle of minimum work apply at the carotid bifurcation: a retrospective cohort study

BMC Medical Imaging

Thanh G Phan³  Velandai Srikanth¹  James E Hilton²  Matthew D Sinnott²  Winston Chong⁶  Mandy Ren⁴  Gita Das⁴  Richard J Beare⁵ 

[1] Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia;CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics, Melbourne, Australia;Stroke Unit, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia;Stroke and Aging Research Group, Department of Medicine, Monash University, Australia;Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia;Department of Radiology, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Others  :  1125993
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2342-11-17

 received in 2011-05-03, accepted in 2011-08-24,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Background

There is recent interest in the role of carotid bifurcation anatomy, geometry and hemodynamic factors in the pathogenesis of carotid artery atherosclerosis. Certain anatomical and geometric configurations at the carotid bifurcation have been linked to disturbed flow. It has been proposed that vascular dimensions are selected to minimize energy required to maintain blood flow, and that this occurs when an exponent of 3 relates the radii of parent and daughter arteries. We evaluate whether the dimensions of bifurcation of the extracranial carotid artery follow this principle of minimum work.

Methods

This study involved subjects who had computed tomographic angiography (CTA) at our institution between 2006 and 2007. Radii of the common, internal and external carotid arteries were determined. The exponent was determined for individual bifurcations using numerical methods and for the sample using nonlinear regression.

Results

Mean age for 45 participants was 56.9 ± 16.5 years with 26 males. Prevalence of vascular risk factors was: hypertension-48%, smoking-23%, diabetes-16.7%, hyperlipidemia-51%, ischemic heart disease-18.7%.

The value of the exponent ranged from 1.3 to 1.6, depending on estimation methodology.

Conclusions

The principle of minimum work (defined by an exponent of 3) may not apply at the carotid bifurcation. Additional factors may play a role in the relationship between the radii of the parent and daughter vessels.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 Beare et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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