The Brachial Artery Remodels to Maintain Local Shear Stress Despite the Presence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

摘要

ObjectiveUnder physiological conditions, arteries remodel in response to changes in blood flow to maintain local shear stress. Risk factors and developing atherosclerosis may be associated with maladaptive remodeling that produces relatively large arteries with low levels of shear stress. Recent studies have shown that the brachial artery and other peripheral arteries are enlarged in patients with risk factors and cardiovascular disease, and we tested the hypothesis that this finding represents maladaptive remodeling.