A study on propagation velocity of small vibrations on aortic wall

The local propagation characteristics of small vibrations on the arterial wall due to the heart beat are investigated. Propagation velocity is obtained by analyzing the small vibrations measured simultaneously at two adjacent points on a vessel wall. From in vitro fundamental experiments, it is confirmed that these local acoustic properties (stiffness) of the wall are evaluated. Through experiments with extracted human thoracic aorta, it is found that the local stiffness, which is estimated from the pulse wave velocity of the aortic wall is increased with aging