The Arterial Circulation: Physical Principles and Clinical Applications

After yet another decade of leaming, experimenting, and inves­ tigating since my first book, Arterial System Dynamics, the many new medical breakthroughs and technological advances have inspired me to write this book to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical applications. The application of physical principles and quantitative approaches to the understanding of the arterial circulation and its interactions with the heart in normal and diseased conditions form the basis of The Arterial Circulation. Knowledge of the physiology and rheology of arteries, as well as all of their structural-functional corre­ lates, is a necessary prerequisite to the proper hemodynamic interpretatiqn of pressure-flow relations and the pulsatile transmis sion characteristics in different arteries. The natural coupling and interactions of the heart, the coronary circulation, and the arterial system necessitate analysis of alterations to global functioning. Modeling provides a tool for isolating and predicting parameter changes and is employed throughout the book. Experimental data are provided for model validations, and also for more realistic interpretations. Techniques and new methods for clinical hemo­ dynamic measurement and diagnosis are included to help the reader un­ derstand the physical principles underlying such abnormal cardiovascular functions as hypertension, stenosis, and myocardial ischemia. The progressive changes in vascular properties during aging are also discussed. Modem approaches utilizing computer mode ling and allomery are presented with selected examples, such as combined hypertension and aortic valve stenosis, and ventricular hypertrophy.

Many new medical breakthroughs and technological advances in recent years have made it possible to deepen our understanding of the cardiovascular system. In The Arterial Circulation: Physical Principles and Clinical Application, John Li applies these modern developments in biorheological analysis, experimental validation, and clinical assessment to the dynamics of arterial circulation, laying the foundation for effective experimental and clinical applications. Using quantitative methods extensively, Dr. Li illuminates the physiology and rheology of arteries, the fundamental theories and modeling of the arterial system, blood pressure and flow and their transmission in arteries, vascular branching junctions and the vascular bed, and the coupling and interaction of the arterial system and the heart. On the clinical level he examines the alteration of structure and function of arteries in such disease conditions as hypertension, myocardial ischemia, arterial and aortic valve stenoses, and aging. Modern approaches using computer modeling and allometry are included, as well as new methods of hemodynamic measurement and monitoring.
Innovative in its quantitative analyses, computer modeling, and practical clinical applications, The Arterial Circulation: Physical Principles and Clinical Application will immediately become the standard reference in the field for all those investigating the structure and function of arteries, as well as how arterial circulation can be accurately and quantitatively assessed in clinical situations.