Biomechanical effects of experimental transluminal angioplasty

Surgical treatment of vertebrobasilar circulation disorders includes percutaneous transluminal angioplasty more often recently. However, the biomechanical aspects of transluminal angioplasty have not been studied sufficiently so far. 148 left and right vertebral artery segments were taken from 24 autopsy subjects (14 male and 10 female) aged from 20 to 75, who had neither systemic nor cerebrovascular lesions. Biomechanical examination and experimental transluminal angioplasty (ETA) of the tubular segments of vertebral artery (VA) were carried out by the special equipment developed for this purpose. The data were obtained using telemetrical, morphometrical and hystological methods. The biomechanical properties taken in the conditioned physiological rate are different for each segment of the VA. The stiffness of VA wall increases with age (mainly after 40 years), particularly in segments V1 and V3. Nevertheless, after high intravascular pressure application the diameter response of VA to intravascular fluid pressure increases if sufficient structural damage of the arterial wall was made.