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Mechanical Buckling of Veins Under Internal Pressure

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Abstract

Venous tortuosity is associated with multiple disease states and is often thought to be a consequence of venous hypertension and chronic venous disease. However, the underlying mechanisms of vein tortuosity are unclear. We hypothesized that increased pressure causes vein buckling that leads to a tortuous appearance. The specific aim of this study was to determine the critical buckling pressure of veins. We determined the buckling pressure of porcine jugular veins and measured the mechanical properties of these veins. Our results showed that the veins buckle when the transmural pressure exceeds a critical pressure that is strongly related to the axial stretch ratio in the veins. The critical pressures of the eight veins tested were 14.2 ± 5.4 and 26.4 ± 9.0 mmHg at axial stretch ratio 1.5 and 1.7, respectively. In conclusion, veins buckle into a tortuous shape at high lumen pressures or reduced axial stretch ratios. Our results are useful in understanding the development of venous tortuosity associated with varicose veins, venous valvular insufficiency, diabetic retinopathy, and vein grafts.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a CAREER award # 0646646 and a REU supplement from the National Science Foundation. It was also partially supported by research grants from NSF (0602834), the Veterans Administration, and the National Institute of Health (HL074236 & HL095852). We thank Dr. Yong-Ung Lee and Miss Danika Hayman for their help in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA

    Ricky Martinez, Cesar A. Fierro & Hai-Chao Han

  2. Departments of Surgery and Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Paula K. Shireman

  3. South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Paula K. Shireman

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  1. Ricky Martinez
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Correspondence to Hai-Chao Han.

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Associate Editor Jane Grande-Allen oversaw the review of this article.

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Martinez, R., Fierro, C.A., Shireman, P.K. et al. Mechanical Buckling of Veins Under Internal Pressure. Ann Biomed Eng 38, 1345–1353 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-010-9929-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-010-9929-1

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