Residual Shear Deformations in the Coronary Artery

Abstract

Quantifying arterial residual deformations is critical for understanding the stresses and strains within the arterial wall during physiological and pathophysiological conditions. This study presents novel findings on residual shear deformations in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Residual shear deformations are most evident when thin, long axial strips are cut from the artery. These strips deform into helical configurations when placed in isotonic solution. A residual shear angle is introduced as a parameter to quantify the residual shear deformations. Furthermore, a stress analysis is performed to study the effects of residual shear deformations on the intramural shear stress distribution of an artery subjected to pressure, axial stretch, and torsion using numerical simulation. The results from the stress analyses suggest that residual shear deformations can significantly modulate the intramural shear stress across the arterial wall.