Effects of theo-esberiven on the development of collateral circulation in dog hearts

Effects of Theo-Esberiven, a coronary vasodilator, on the development of collateral circulation were investigated in dogs with their left anterior descending artery chronically occluded. The drug was administered i.v. at 0.1 ml/kg once a day for 1 to 4 weeks after the occlusion. Left circumflex coronary flow in dogs treated with the drug was increased over the value in control ones when measured one week after the occlusion. At the same time, the ratio of retrograde pressure to perfusion pressure, which correlates negatively with the collateral vascular resistance, significantly exceeded the value in control (P less than 0.05). On the basis of observations with blood vessel casts of hearts, distinct anastomoses between the circumflex and anterior descending arteries had already been observed in all preparations from dogs treated for 2 weeks in contrast to the findings seen in control ones. There were less histological changes in myocardial tissue obtained from dogs treated for one week than those in control ones. From these results, Theo-Esberiven appears possibly to accerelate the collateral development at the earlier stages after the coronary occlusion.