RESUMO
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.
