Effect of length on the fundamental resonance frequency of arterial models having radial dilatation.

The pressure wave moving along an elastic artery filled with blood was examined as a moving Windkessel having a natural oscillation angular frequency nu 0 and a damping coefficient b. The radial directional motion for an element of the wall segment and the adherent fluid was considered. This equation was solved with conditions at both ends of an artery of length L. An external impulse force was applied at one end and a static pressure Po at the other. Analytic solution allowed only certain oscillation modes of resonance frequencies fn, where fn2 = a + cnL-2 with [formula: see text] and V infinity is the high frequency phase velocity. The relationship between f0 and L was examined experimentally for tubes constructed of latex, rubber, or dissected aorta. The effect of raising the static pressure P0 or increasing the tension in the tube was consistent with the prediction. The hypertension that accompanies an augmentation in arterial wall and the association between the heart rate and the mean blood pressure were discussed.