Geometric modeling of the carotid bifurcation in humans: implications in ultrasonic Doppler and radiologic investigations.

A geometric representation of the carotid bifurcation is presented with data obtained from biplane angiograms of normal branches and branches exhibiting less than 5% vessel diameter reduction. Three features are identified that are of importance in the interpretation of ultrasonic Doppler velocity information and in the design of engineering flow models for evaluation of carotid branch hemodynamics: the variability of the bifurcation angles, the degree of tortuosity, and the nonplanar nature of the branches. In addition, data collected demonstrate the potential usefulness of the common carotid artery as a reference diameter in evaluating stenosis of the carotid bulb.