PREVENTING STENOSIS WITH SUPERELASTIC NiTi ALLOY STENT IN RABBIT ABDOMINAL ARTERY ATHEROSCLEROSTIC MODEL

摘要

In this study, we try to assess the feasibility, the safety, and the effect of superelastic NiTi-alloy stents in preventing restenosis by an implanted-rabbit atherosclerostic model. NiTi-alloy stents were implanted into the abdominal arteries of 60 atherosclerostic rabbits that were divided into four groups according to stenting time: (a) 30 days, (b) 60 days, (c) 90 days, and (d) 180 days. The thickness of the neointimal was measured and the apoptosis was examined by the TUNEL method. The experimental results show that the mean thickness of the neointimal per group was as follows: (a) 130.5 +- 31.0μm, (b) 300.1 +- 30.1μm, (c) 460.1 +- 192.2μm, and (d) 578.1 +- 144.0μm. The rate of apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cell in groups b and c is higher than that in groups a and d. It may be concluded that the NiTi-alloy stents performed well in terms of feasibility and safety and played an important role in inducing intima proliferation.