Altered minimal coronary resistance to antegrade reflow after chronic coronary artery occlusion in swine

We examined coronary pressure-flow relations after chronic coronary artery occlusion induced by placement of an ameroid occluder on the left circumflex coronary artery in swine. An acute open-chest procedure was performed in nine pigs 27 +/- 2 days (mean +/- SEM) after surgical placement of the ameroid occluder, and in eight nonoperated control pigs. Coronary vascular resistances were measured during maximal coronary vasodilation with adenosine. Minimal coronary resistance was assessed before and after cannulation and extracorporeal perfusion of the left circumflex coronary artery distal to the site of the ameroid occluder in pigs from the ameroid group and in a similar site in control pigs. Minimal coronary resistance to antegrade reflow in the left circumflex region was decreased significantly in ameroid pigs compared with control pigs (0.06 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.26 +/- 0.03 mm Hg.min.100 g/ml, p less than 0.001, respectively). Decreased minimal coronary vascular resistance was present transmurally in the left circumflex region of ameroid pigs. Altered vascular resistance occurred only in myocardium distal to the ameroid occluder since the nonoccluded left anterior descending region in ameroid pigs had minimal coronary resistance similar to that of the same region from control pigs (0.23 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.19 +/- 0.02 mm Hg.min.100 g/ml). Thus altered minimal coronary vascular resistance occurs and probably reflects vascular proliferation and/or vascular alterations which result in an increased total cross-sectional area of the vasculature in the myocardium distal to the occlusion.