The Wall Shear Rate Distribution Near an End-to-End Anastomosis : Effects of Graft Compliance and Size

The patency rates of small diameter vascular grafts are disappointing because of the formation of thrombus and intimal hyperplasia. Among the various factors influencing the success of graft surgery, the compliance and the size of a graft are believed to be the most important physical properties of a vascular graft. Mismatch of compliance and size between an artery and a graft alters anastomotic flow characteristics, which may affect the formation of intimal hyperplasia. Among the hemodynamic factors influencing the development of intimal hyperplasia, the wall shear stress is suspected as the most important one. The wall shear stress distributions are experimentally measured near the end-to-end anastomosis models in order to clarify the effects of compliance and diameter mismatch on the hemodynamics near the anastomosis. The effects of radial wall motion, diameter mismatch and impedance phase angle on the wall shear rate distributions near the anastomosis are considered. Compliance mismatch generates both different radial wall motion and instantaneous diameter mismatch between the arterial portion and the graft portion during a flow cycle. Mismatch in diameter seems to be affecting the wall shear rate distribution more significantly compared to radial wall motion. The impedance phase angle also affects the wall shear rate distribution.