Fibrinolytic activity after vessel wall injury.

The goal of this study was to assess fibrinolytic activity after vessel wall injury and to correlate changes in fibrinolytic activity with angiographic and histologic findings. Accordingly, in 18 atherosclerotic rabbits, vessel wall injury was produced by means of iliac artery balloon angioplasty (the injury group), whereas 8 atherosclerotic rabbits served as a control group. In all rabbits from the injury group, deep vessel wall injury was documented by either angiography or histologic study. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity in plasma increased significantly, from 21.79 +/- 1.29 arbitrary units/ml (AU/ml) at baseline study to 32.05 +/- 1.47 AU/ml at 6 h after vessel wall injury (p less than 0.01), whereas activity remained unchanged throughout the 24-h period in the control group. Plasma levels of tissue plasminogen activator activity were similar in both groups. Intravascular thrombus was found in five of six additional rabbits 6 h after vessel wall injury, that is, at the time of impaired fibrinolytic activity, whereas no thrombus was found in the control group (p less than 0.05). It is concluded that deep vessel wall injury is associated with reduced fibrinolytic activity. In addition to other procoagulant factors, elevated plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity may lead to intravascular thrombosis and impaired resolution of thrombus.