A sudden tubular expansion with a semi- permeable wall was constructed from a tubular dialysis membrane to investigate the effects of filtration flow and flow disturbance on particle deposition. The expansion was perfused with a dilute, neutrally buoyant suspension of 1.10 mm diameter polystyrene latex spheres (as models of platelets) in Tris buffer solution containing 10% Dextran T70 and 2% bovine serum albumin. The results showed that adhesion of particles correlated positively with the filtration rate and inversely with the wall shear rate. In the vortex flow region distal to the expansion, particle adhesion was significantly elevated with a maximum at the reattachment point where the wall shear rate was the lowest and particles were constantly carried toward the vessel wall along the curved streamlines. In conclusion, filtration flow has a profound impact on the interaction of blood cells such as platelets with blood vessel walls, and the disturbed flow with a low wall shear rate can enhance the deposits of platelet thrombi to the vessel wall.
