Scholarly review of geometry and compliance: biomechanical perspectives on vascular injury and healing.

Mechanical stress and strain upon cardiovascular tissue are important factors that influence the ultimate configuration of clinically observed disease entities. Although mechanical forces can stimulate cellular changes and response, structural or geometric alterations introduced by disease processes can, in turn, influence local hemodynamic conditions. Dynamic interactions of structural parameters, such as arterial compliance and geometry, can further contribute to the final determination of the mechanical conditions and outcome of the vessel. Manipulation of vascular compliance and geometry may, therefore, have desirable effects. In this article, fundamental vascular biomechanical forces are defined and their association with cellular response and clinical disease processes are introduced. The interplay between vascular geometry and compliance is emphasized, and the potential for mechanical solutions to vascular diseases are explored.