Selective arterialization of a cardiac vein in a model of cardiac microangiopathy and macroangiopathy in sheep.

Objective: Some patients with significant arteriosclerosis of the heart are not amenable to revascularization of a coronary artery because they have a combination of microangiopathy and significant macroangiopathy. We investigated the benefit of arterialization of a cardiac vein under these circumstances in an acute animal model.

Methods: In the hearts of 8 sheep, microspheres were injected into the left coronary artery; 60 minutes later, a stenosis of the left anterior descending artery was performed.