'SAUSAGE-STRING' PATTERNS IN BLOOD VESSELS AT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURES

摘要

At high blood pressure conditions, 'sausage-string' patterns of alternating constrictions and dilatations may form in blood vessels. We propose that a new Rayleigh-type instability explains the pattern formation. Our theory provides predictions for the conditions under which the normal cylindrical geometry of a blood vessel becomes unstable. The theory is related to experimental observations in rats, where high blood pressure is induced by intravenous infusion of angiotensin II.