Mechanical Properties of Normal and Diseased Cerebrovascular System

Abstract

Background: Blood vessel mechanics has traditionally been of interest to researchers and clinicians. Changes in mechanical properties of
arteries have been associated with various diseases.
Objective: To provide a comprehensive review directed towards understanding the basic biomechanical properties of cerebral arteries
under normal and diseased conditions.
Methods: Literature review supplemented by personal knowledge.
Results: The mechanical properties of vascular tissue may depend on several factors
including macromolecular volume fraction, molecular orientation, and volume or
number of cells such as smooth muscle cells. Mechanical properties of a blood vessel have
been characterized using different methods such as in vitro tensile testing, non-invasive
ultrasound examination, and mathematical models. Experiments are complicated by the
variation in properties and content of materials that make up the vessel wall and more
challenging as the size of the vessel of interest decreases. Therapeutic interventions
aiming to alter the mechanical response are either pharmaceutical: including calcium
channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor
blockers (ARB), and β-blockers; or, mechanical interventions such as angioplasty, stent
placement, mechanical thrombectomy, or embolization procedures.
Conclusion: It is apparent from the literature that macromolecular and cellular mechanics of blood vessels are not fully understood.
Therefore, further studies are necessary to better understand contribution of these mechanisms to the overall mechanics of the vascular
tissue