The hydromechanics in arteriogenesis.

Coronary heart diseases are tightly associated with aging. Although current revascularization therapies, such as percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), improve the clinical outcomes of patients with coronary diseases, their application and therapeutic effects are limited in elderly patients. Thus, developing novel therapeutic strategies, like prompting collateral development or the process of arteriogenesis, is necessary for the treatment of the elderly with coronary diseases. Arteriogenesis (ie, the vascular remodeling from pre-existent arterioles to collateral conductance networks) functions as an essential compensation for tissue hypoperfusion caused by artery occlusion or stenosis, and its mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this review, we will summarize the roles of the major hydromechanical components in laminar conditions in arteriogenesis, and discuss the potential effects of disturbed flow components in non-laminar conditions.