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Early and late arterial healing response to catheter‐Induced laser, thermal, and mechanical wall damage in the rabbit
Author(s) -
Oornen Antonius,
Van Erven Lieselotte,
Vandenbroucke Walda V. A.,
Verdaasdonk Rudolf M.,
Slager Cornelius J.,
Thornsen Sharon L.,
Borst Cornelius
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.1900100410
Subject(s) - neointima , medicine , laser , angioplasty , perforation , balloon catheter , wound healing , materials science , surgery , balloon , restenosis , radiology , stent , optics , physics , metallurgy , punching
Pulsed lasers are being promoted for laser angioplasty because of their capacity to ablate obstructions without producing adjacent thermal tissue injury. The implicit assumption that thermal injury to the artery is to be avoided was tested. Thermal lesions were produced in the iliac arteries and aorta of normal rabbits by a) electrical spark erosion, b) the metal laser probe, and c) continuous wave neodymium‐yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd‐YAG) laser energy through the sapphire contact probe. High‐energy doses were used to induce substantial damage without perforating the vessel wall. Thermal lesions (n=77) were compared with mechanical lesions (n=22) induced by oversized balloon dilation. Medial necrosis was induced by all four injury methods. Provided no extravascular contrast was observed after the injury, all damaged segments were patent after 1 to 56 days. The progression of healing with myointimal proliferation was remarkably similar for all injuries. At 56 days, the neointima measured up to 370 μm. In conclusion, provided no perforation with contrast extravasation occurred, the normal rabbit artery recovered well from transmural thermal injury. The wall healing response is largely nonspecific.