The mechanical properties of arterial tissue play a central role in healthy human physiology and have therefore been extensively studied and modeled in recent decades. These properties are closely related to the microstructural features of the tissue and at the same time can have a significant influence on them because the arterial microstructure is maintained (and in some cases remodeled) at the microscopic level by vascular cells that can sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. This review addresses multiscale computational models based on representative volume elements (RVEs), which constitute an excellent tool for studying this micro–macro relationship. First, a comprehensive discussion on arterial biomechanics with emphasis on microstructural aspects is presented to underpin the subsequent discussion of RVE-based models and examine their geometrical, constitutive and kinematic assumptions. Second, a series of selected results is then presented to highlight the predictive and descriptive capabilities of the models. Finally, some directions for future work are suggested.

中文翻译：

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动脉微力学的多尺度计算模型：综述

动脉组织的机械特性在健康的人体生理学中发挥着核心作用，因此近几十年来得到了广泛的研究和建模。这些特性与组织的微观结构特征密切相关，同时可以对其产生重大影响，因为动脉微观结构是由可以感知和响应的血管细胞在微观水平上维持（并且在某些情况下重塑）的。机械刺激。这篇综述讨论了基于代表性体积单元（RVE）的多尺度计算模型，它构成了研究这种微观-宏观关系的优秀工具。首先，对动脉生物力学进行了全面的讨论，重点是微观结构方面，以支持随后基于 RVE 的模型的讨论，并检查其几何、本构和运动学假设。其次，提出一系列选定的结果，以突出模型的预测和描述能力。最后，提出了未来工作的一些方向。