[Remodeling of coronary arteries examined by arteries intravascular ultrasonography].

Unlabelled: In most papers atherosclerotic remodelling was assessed in one segment of each studied artery. Such mode of study makes impossible to investigate the homogeneity of the remodelling. The aim of the study was intravital assessment by means of intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) of the incidence of positive and negative remodelling in coronary artery segments and verification of the hypothesis that remodelling is inhomogeneous within the same artery.

Method: Remodelling was assessed quantitatively by IVUS (3.5 F; 20 MHz Visions Five-64 F/X catheters, Oracle In-Vision Imaging System, Endosonics Corp. USA) in 48 segments of 27 coronary arteries. On the base of the difference between total vessel area (TA) at lesion site and reference cross-section (plaque area < 35%) remodelling was classified as negative, positive or absent. In 13 arteries out of 27 studied arteries more than 1 segment was assessed, containing both cross-section with > 50% stenosis and reference cross-section.

Results: Positive, negative and absent remodelling was observed in 54%, 29% and 17% of segments, respectively. The analysis revealed two different types of remodelling in 7 out of 13 arteries with several analysed segments. This finding demonstrates that remodelling is inhomogenous within the artery (p < 0.006).

Conclusions: Compensatory enlargement is the most common response of coronary arteries to atherosclerotic plaque development followed by negative remodelling and absence of remodelling. Not homogenous remodelling within the same artery suggests a prominent role of local factors in determining the type of response of the artery to plaque accumulation.