“…In atherosclerosis, plaque is generally found at sites of arterial curvature and bifurcation (reviewed in Langille and Ojha, 1997). During the development of an atherosclerotic plaque or after percutaneous translumenal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures using a saphenous vein graft (SVG), the lumen of the vessel may narrow and may eventually become completely occluded (review ed in Dzimiri et al, 1996). In the case of the SVG, the remodeling of the venous vessel, now introduced to the arterial circulation, may in part be due to the failure of the vessel to adapt rapidly to an increased level of shear stress (Morinaga et al, 1985;Dobrin et al, 1989;Golledge et al, 1997).…”