Geometry of the human common carotid artery. A vessel cast study of 86 specimens.

The carotid artery is of special interest for the pathologist because of its frequent depositions, and for the fluidmechanician because of its complex flow properties. However, there is a distinct lack in current knowledge of its geometry. Therefore, a vessel cast study was undertaken. At post mortem, the arteries are excised and filled with a special resin at the proper transmural pressure. Eighty-six vessel casts of the carotid artery were performed, and some etiological factors of atherosclerosis, such as age, sex and disease, were collected. The following selected geometric parameters of these vessel casts were measured in this study: the diameters of the main branches of carotid bifurcation (common, internal and external arteries), and the angles between internal, external and common carotid arteries. The averaged geometric parameters and their variability over 86 vessel casts of the carotid artery were investigated. Furthermore, the relationship between these measured parameters and the etiological factors age, sex and disease was analyzed. The geometric parameters varied considerably, presumably contributing to a corresponding variability in the local hemodynamic and distribution of the atherosclerotic lesions.