ABSTRACT
As is evident from the material covered in the earlier chapters, the etiology and the progression of arterial and valvular diseases and the problems associated with cardiovascular implants have generally been linked to the local blood žow mechanics in the vicinity of the region of interest. Hence physicians, basic scientists, and engineers have been interested in characterizing the žow of blood in various regions of interest in the human circulation. One method is to measure the velocity proŸles directly in the arterial segments in the human or animal model. Measurements in humans require exposure of the vessels and the introduction of probes for velocity or pressure measurement which is often impractical and involves ethical considerations as well. More recently, noninvasive measurements of velocity proŸles have been possible, but data obtained from such measurements also have practical limitations to obtain detailed žow characteristics within the region of interest. Measurements in animal models are also expensive with limited data acquisition due to practical limitations. Additionally, the use of animal models in research and development needs full justiŸcation as well. Nonetheless, the data obtained from in vivo human subjects or animal models have provided a wealth of information in increasing our knowledge about the physiological blood žow dynamics in various organs of interest and also the alterations in žow with the onset of pathology.
