HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 285/5/H2019    most recent 00399.2003v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (19) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gössl, M. Articles by Ritman, E. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gössl, M. Articles by Ritman, E. L.

Impact of coronary vasa vasorum functional structure on coronary vessel wall perfusion distribution

¹Physiological Imaging Research Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905; and ²Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90027

Submitted 22 May 2003 ; accepted in final form 2 July 2003

Noncoronary vasa vasorum have been described as networks of microvessels in the wall of arteries and veins. However, we have shown, using microcomputerized tomography (micro-CT) imaging methods, that porcine coronary vasa vasorum have a tree-like branching structure similar to the vasculature in general. In this study, we elucidate functional aspects of coronary vasa vasorum perfusion territories. Three pig hearts were injected with radiopaque Microfil via the coronary sinus to fill the left anterior descending coronary arteries (LADs) retrogradely at atmospheric pressure. In three other hearts, LADs were injected antegradely at 100-mmHg pressure via the left main carotid artery. Additionally, six LADs were injected in vivo with a suspension of 100- or 300-µm-diameter microspheres before harvesting of the hearts and injection of the LADs with Microfil. All harvested LADs were scanned intact with micro-CT (20 µm cubic voxels). The spatial density of vasa vasorum (no. of vasa/mm²) was measured in 20-µm-thick cross sections (at 0.4-mm intervals). Retrogradely injected LADs showed high and uniformly distributed vasa vasorum densities in the adventitia (means ± SE; 5.38 ± 0.09 vs. 3.58 ± 0.1 vasa/mm² in antegradely prepared LADs; P < 0.001). Antegradely prepared LADs showed patchy distributed, low-vasa-vasorum-density territories especially on the myocardial side of the coronary artery wall (epicardial density: 4.29 ± 0.13 vasa/mm² vs. myocardial density: 2.80 ± 0.1 vasa/mm², P < 0.001). Microembolization reduced vasa vasorum densities significantly (100-µm-diameter microspheres: 3.26 ± 0.07 vasa/mm², P < 0.05; 300-µm-diameter microspheres: 2.66 ± 0.07 vasa/mm², P < 0.001 vs. antegrade controls) and increased the size of low-vasa-vasorum-density territories. We conclude that coronary vasa vasorum are functional endarteries not connected via a plexus. This characteristic may have a significant impact on the spatial distribution of perfusion and drainage of the coronary vessel wall.

intraluminal coronary artery pressure; microembolization; microcomputerized tomography

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. J. Mulligan-Kehoe The vasa vasorum in diseased and nondiseased arteries Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, February 1, 2010; 298(2): H295 - H305. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X.-Y. Zhu, M. D. Bentley, A. R. Chade, E. L. Ritman, A. Lerman, and L. O. Lerman Early changes in coronary artery wall structure detected by microcomputed tomography in experimental hypercholesterolemia Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, September 1, 2007; 293(3): H1997 - H2003. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. L. Ritman and A. Lerman The dynamic vasa vasorum Cardiovasc Res, September 1, 2007; 75(4): 649 - 658. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-B. Michel, O. Thaunat, X. Houard, O. Meilhac, G. Caligiuri, and A. Nicoletti Topological Determinants and Consequences of Adventitial Responses to Arterial Wall Injury Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, June 1, 2007; 27(6): 1259 - 1268. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Ananda, V. Marsden, K. Vekemans, E. Korkmaz, N. Tsafnat, L. Soon, A. Jones, and F. Braet The visualization of hepatic vasculature by X-ray micro-computed tomography J. Electron Microsc. (Tokyo), June 1, 2006; 55(3): 151 - 155. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Gossl, P. E. Beighley, N. M. Malyar, and E. L. Ritman Role of vasa vasorum in transendothelial solute transport in the coronary vessel wall: a study with cryostatic micro-CT Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, November 1, 2004; 287(5): H2346 - H2351. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]