Luminal diameter and vasa vasorum response to stent dilation in the rabbit aorta.
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.
Sahler
L G
LG
Department of Radiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY 14642-8648, USA.
Morris
T W
TW
Owusu
K N
KN
Gutierrez
O H
OH
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*