Lymph Flow, Shear Stress, and Lymphocyte Velocity in Rat Mesenteric Prenodal Lymphatics

Abstract

High-speed lymphocyte tracking provided the spatial and temporal resolution to measure lymphocyte flux throughout the phasic contraction. Poiseuille flow was a reasonable model for estimating wall shear stress through most of the phasic contraction cycle of the intervalvular lymphatic segments. Shear rate was low but had large variations in magnitude compared to that seen in blood vessels.