title: Cellular cardiomyoplasty into infracted swine's hearts by retrograde infusion through the venous coronary sinus: An experimental study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to create a model of myocardial infarction with a borderline myocardial impairment which would enable evaluation of the retrograde cellular cardiomyoplasty through the venous coronary sinus in a large animal model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen (study group) and 10 juvenile farm pigs (control group) underwent distal left anterior descending artery ligation. One month later the study group animals underwent sternotomy and a murine myoblastic line C2-C12 was injected at a constant pressure of 30mmHg, into the coronary sinus. Thirty days later all animals that survived from both groups underwent transthoracic echocardiography and 99Tc scintigraphy and were later euthanized and specimens were taken for microscopic evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cardiac output decreased significantly after ligation (p<0.001) and increased significantly after cardiomyoplasty (p<0.001). In all animals, the surgical induction of myocardial infarction caused a marked decline in the echocardiographic values of cardiac function; however, the cardiac function and dimensions were significantly improved in the study group after cardiomyoplasty versus the control group. All animals undergoing cardiomyoplasty demonstrated a significant reduction of the perfusion deficit in the left anterior descending artery territory, instead such data remained unchanged in the control group. The histological examination demonstrated the engrafted myoblasts could be distinguished from the activated fibroblasts in the scar tissue because they never showed any signs of collagen secretion and fiber buildup.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the venous retrograde delivery route through the coronary sinus is safe and effective, providing a significant improvement in function and viability.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Center of Tirana, Albania. Electronic address: edvinprifti@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Edvin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prifti
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Section, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Lascio
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Surgery, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harmelin
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Histology & Embryology, Departments of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bani
authors.affiliation: Unit of Nuclear Medicine, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Briganti
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Center of Tirana, Albania.
authors.forename: Altin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veshti
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Surgery, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonacchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002302:Cardiac Output; D018421:Cardiomyoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D002460:Cell Line; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D054326:Coronary Sinus; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000637:transplantation*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D014022:Tissue Survival; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
keywords: Celullar cardiomyoplasty; Coronary sinus; Retrograde infusion