Thrombosis and altered expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) after avulsion injury in rat vessels

This study was undertaken to characterize the relative degrees of arterial and venous trauma after graded avulsion injuries. Rat femoral arteries and veins were subjected to reproducible avulsion injuries using forces of between 60 and 220g. Thrombotic occlusion occurred at lower avulsion forces in veins than in arteries. Histologic and scanning electron microscopic analysis indicated increased endothelial disruption and exposed elastic lamina with increasing avulsion force in both vessels, but more prominently in arteries. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) mRNA expression was evident at 3 and 6 hours after avulsion injury in veins, but only with higher avulsion-force injuries in arteries. ICAM-1 mRNA expression was not found in either vessel before or after this 3 to 6 hour post-injury interval. These results indicate that the amount of avulsion force to which traumatized extremity vessels are subjected has a direct effect on the degree of intimal injury and subsequent thrombosis.