Dynamics of cryopreserved human carotid arteries

The viscoelastic properties of the arterial wall are responsible for their functional role in the arterial system. Cryopreservation is widely used to preserve blood vessels for vascular reconstruction but is controversially suspected to affect the dynamic behaviour of these allografts. The aim of this study was to determine whether differences in the dynamic behaviour exist or not between fresh and cryopreserved human common carotid arteries (CCA). Using a previously developed mock circulation system, dynamic pressure-diameter tests were performed on segments of human fresh (n=10) and cryopreserved arteries (n=7). A diameter-pressure transfer function was designed to evaluate the wall dynamics. An adaptive model was fit to obtain its frequency response. Three models were tested. Results show that non-significant differences exist between wall dynamics of fresh and cryopreserved segments of human CCA.