title: Luminal diameter and vasa vasorum response to stent dilation in the rabbit aorta.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the changes in luminal diameter and vasa vasorum after stent dilation of the aorta of nonatherosclerotic rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Balloon-expandable stents were placed in the aortas of rabbits at the L3 level and were expanded. After 8 weeks, the rabbits were euthanized, perfused with barium sulfate particles, frozen, sectioned, and X-rayed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The luminal intrastent diameter (2.3 +/- 0.23 mm) was significantly different (p < .05) from the expanded stent diameter but was not different from the luminal diameter above (2.3 +/- 0.53 mm) and below (1.9 +/- 0.18 mm) the stent. The number of vasa vasorum at the stent (46 +/- 7.2) was significantly increased compared with above (21 +/- 4.8, p < .001) and below (14.4 +/- 4.6, p < .001) the stent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After 8 weeks, luminal diameter was uniform. The increased vasa vasorum in the stented section suggested an increase in blood flow to the aortic wall, which may be important to the remodeling process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY 14642-8648, USA.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Sahler
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Owusu
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000502:physiology*; D001027:Aortography; D004106:Dilatation; D011817:Rabbits; D015607:Stents; D014651:Vasa Vasorum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*