The diameter of the CFA increases with age, initially during growth but also in adults. This is related to age, body size, and sex male subjects have larger arteries than female subjects. It is now possible to predict the normal CFA diameter, and nomograms that may be used in the study of aneurysmal disease are presented.

No abstract

Arterial diameters increase with age, and a compensatory thickening of the arterial wall prevents the circumferential wall stress from increasing. However, this compensatory response is insufficient in the male AA and results in an increase in stress with age. These findings might explain the propensity for aneurysms to develop in the AA of men.

Wall stress in the abdominal aorta is reduced in diabetes mellitus. This is mainly due to a thicker aortic wall compared to healthy controls. The reduced aortic wall stress coincides with the fact that epidemiological studies have shown a decreased risk of aneurysm development in diabetic patients.

The popliteal artery is, after the abdominal aorta, the most common location for aneurysm formation in the arterial system. Why it is more susceptible than other arteries is unknown. This study shows that the wall function of the popliteal artery differs from other peripheral arteries, and instead show striking similarities to the abdominal aorta, indicating that the functional arrangement of arterial wall components are similar in the two arteries. This may have implications for the susceptibility to aneurysm formation, as well as the association of dilating disease between the popliteal artery and the abdominal aorta.