ABSTRACT
Earlier in Section 3.10, we discussed how atherosclerosis of the major systemic arteries (e.g., coronary, carotid, renal, etc.) is the greatest cause of death in the Western world, leading to conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and disabilities of the legs. Later, in Section 6.7, we discussed the topic of arterial stenoses and the nature of žuid dynamic changes that are associated with them. From a clinical standpoint, the presence of a stenosis often leads to either reduced blood žow to the corresponding distal organs or to the production of emboli (usually thrombi) which are convected downstream to smaller arterial branches where occlusion occurs. The most critical sites for these events are the coronary (Figure 9.1), carotid, renal, and lower extremity (e.g., iliac, femoral, etc.) arteries.
