Effect of hypertension on small-vessel healing after microvascular anastomosis

Artery-to-artery microvascular anastomosis (MVA) has become an established therapeutic alternative for patients with giant intracranial aneurysms and other forms of cerebrovascular disease. Many patients afflicted with cerebrovascular disease also suffer from hypertension. To evaluate the effect of hypertension on healing of small arteries following MVA, 36 spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to end-to-side MVA of their common carotid arteries. At specific times after surgery the rats were sacrificed; the anastomotic site was removed and examined with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. All MVA's were patent, and there was no evidence of thrombus formation or stenosis at the operative site in any group. Also, there was no difference between the spontaneously hypertensive rats and the control normotensive rat group in the rate of endothelial coverage of the MVA. The presence of hypertension appears to have no effect on healing of small arteries in the rat.