Cerebral vasospastic vessels: histologic changes after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate histologic changes before and after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in experimental cerebral vasospasm in comparison with normal vessels.


METHODS
In seven monkeys, vasospasm was induced in the subarachnoid space. After 7 days, PTA was performed. Microscopic studies were performed in vasospastic vessels. In two animals, vasospasm was induced but angioplasty was not performed. The controls were two animals without vasospasm who underwent only contralateral angioplasty.


RESULTS
Angiography after vasospasm revealed marked narrowing but dilatation after PTA, without changes in distal spastic vessels. Specimens after PTA showed platelets that covered denuded endothelium, stretching, and focal dehiscence of internal elastic lamina and altered myocytes in media. Myocytes were deformed and arranged irregularly. These changes were not uniform.


CONCLUSIONS
The prolonged effect of PTA may be caused by mechanical damage of myocytes and the nonuniformity of histologic changes in vascular walls.
Department of Radiology, Kagawa Medical School, Japan.
M
M
Ohkawa
N
N
Fujiwara
M
M
Tanabe
H
H
Takashima
K
K
Satoh
K
K
Kojima
K
K
Irie
Y
Y
Honjo
S
S
Nagao
D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D000818:Animals; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008251:Macaca; D008297:Male