A Possible Index of Artery Wall Stress

Focal areas of accentuated waO stress along the course of canine coronary arteries may be revealed by the level of SO4 incorporation into grycosamlnogrycans (GAG). In the anterior descending artery, "SO* incorporation is higher in the proximal than in the distal region and may be extraordinarily high as the vessel enters a proximal]}' located muscle bridge and at the takeoff region of multidirectional branches. In the circumflex artery, the incorporation also is higher in the proximal than in the distal region and is high at the genn where the posterior descending artery forms. There are differences in uptake of SO< in vessels even when the arteries arise from the same vascular bed. This was shown by the higher incorporation in the left coronary artery than in the right coronary artery. A general anatomical agreement exists between these sites of high "SO< incorporation and previously described locations of Internal elastic disruption and proliferation of intimal connective tissue in the dog.