Table 1.
Description of flow patterns within various in vivo locations
| Flow description | Velocity | Wall shear stress | In vivo locations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laminar < 1400 | Steady | Positive or negative (directional) | Constant, unidirectional | Constant | Rare–capillary |
| Pulsatile | Unidirectional | Transient, mean positive flow–frequency ranges generally below 10 Hz | Low, transiently changing between positive and negative | Arteries, arterioles | |
| Oscillatory | Reversing | Low, positive and negative | Branching, bends | ||
| Turbulent > 1400 | Chaotic | Unpredictable | >95% stenosis | ||