Computational Modeling of Transmural Flow and Shear Stress on Smooth Muscle Cells in Human Carotid Artery

Determining the methods to stop the interstitial (transmural) flow-initiated plaque formation depends critically on our understanding of interstitial flow and the shear stress on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In this work, a three-layered biphasic model representing the human common carotid artery (CCA) is employed. Numerical methods are used to estimate the fluid flux through the media under lumen blood pressure in FEBio. The material consists of Darcy’s flow with a strain-dependent permeability for the interstitial fluid and the HGO model for the fiber-reinforced solid material with an orthotropic hyperelastic behavior. As the geometry, symmetric thick-walled concentric rings are chosen and are constituted in open ring form to have circumferential residual stress. Shears stress around VSMCs, and the intensity of the fluid passing through the VSMCs are calculated. The effect of aging is investigated by using two different geometries with different physical properties.