摘要：Atherosclerosis is the first cause of death in the first world countries
nowadays and it will also become one of the firsts in the developing countries.
It is a vascular disease that affects medium and great size arteries and it
could partially or totally obstruct blood flow through them. The lack of blood
supply to an organ implies the lack of oxygen and this could mean its temporary
mal functioning (ischemia) or the death of the tissue (infarct). This disease
implies the formation of plaques called atheromas, which grow in the arterial
wall due to accumulation of fat, cholesterol, cell debris, calcium and smooth
muscle cells. Since late seventies it has been hypothesized that hemodynamic
forces over the endothelium, the innermost layer of arteries, are very important
to the formation and development of atheromas. These hypotheses suggest that
atheromas form in regions of complex flow patterns, such as bifurcations or
regions of marked curvature, where recirculation and secondary flow develops.
Together with flow patterns, blood pressure and cholesterol concentration in
blood are other known factors that influence the development of the
atherosclerotic plaques. The carotid bifurcation in the carotid artery has
received and continues to receive a lot of attention for it supplies blood to
some parts of the brain. Atheromas that develop in this bifurcation may cause a
stroke, which is one of the major causes of death. In previous works we have
shown a model of the formation and initial growth of these plaques. In the
present work we use a slight modification of this model, combined with Finite
Volume simulations of the blood flow through the artery, to predict the time
evolution of the shape of an atheroma in the human carotid bifurcation.
