‘Sausage-string’ deformations of blood vessels at high blood pressures

A new instability is proposed to explain the ‘sausage-string’ patterns of alternating constrictions and dilatations formed in blood vessels at high blood pressure conditions. Our theory provides predictions for the conditions under which the cylindrical geometry of a blood vessel becomes unstable. The theory is related to experimental observations in rats, where high blood pressure is induced by intravenous infusion of angiotensin II.