Quantifying the stress distribution through the arterial wall is essential to studies of arterial growth and disease. Previous studies have shown that both residual stress, as measured by opening angle, and differing material properties for the media-intima and the adventitial layers affect the transmural circumferential stress $σθ$ distribution. Because a lack of comprehensive data on a single species and artery has led to combinations from multiple sources, this study determined the sensitivity of $σθ$ to published variations in both opening angle and layer thickness data. We fit material properties to previously published experimental data for pressure–diameter relations and opening angles of rabbit carotid artery, and predicted $σθ$ through the arterial wall at physiologic conditions. Using a one-layer model, the ratio of $σθ$ at the internal wall to the mean $σθ$ decreased from 2.34 to 0.98 as the opening angle increased from 60 to 130 deg. In a two-layer model using a 95 deg opening angle, mean $σθ$ in the adventitia increased (112 percent for 25 percent adventitia) and mean $σθ$ in the media decreased (47 percent for 25 percent adventitia). These results suggest that both residual stress and wall layers have important effects on transmural stress distribution. Thus, experimental measurements of loading curves, opening angles, and wall composition from the same species and artery are needed to accurately predict the transmural stress distribution in the arterial wall. [S0148-0731(00)02204-4]

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