Immediate and long-term effects of angioplasty-balloon dilation on normal rabbit iliac artery

The present study was performed to determine the immediate (hours) and long-term (28-day) effects of angioplasty-balloon dilatation on arterial wall diameter, histology, response to vasoconstrictors, and passive mechanics. Dilated left iliac arteries of New Zealand rabbits were compared to control, right iliac arteries. In the immediate studies, dilation increased arteriographic diameter by 32%, denuded the endothelium, stretched and may have lysed smooth muscle cells, decreased arterial wall thickness, and increased passive stress and incremental elastic modulus. The dilated arteries failed to contract to norepinephrine or potassium chloride. In contrast, 28 days after dilation, arteriographic diameter had returned to normal, an intimal thickening had formed, passive stress and the incremental elastic modulus had decreased to below normal, and the arteries contracted, but to only 53% to 67% of control. Angioplasty had no long-term effect on arterial sensitivity (EC50) to potassium chloride or serotonin but did produce a decreased sensitivity (6X) to norepinephrine. These studies demonstrate that the effects of dilatation of the normal artery are partially reversible, suggest that restenosis after angioplasty is more likely to be due to intimal proliferation than increased arterial stiffness, and suggest that vasospasm of arteries after long-term recovery from the dilation is more likely to be mediated by serotonin than by norepinephrine.