Collateral Circulation

Collateral blood vessels develop by growth of pre or newly formed structures in almost all vascular provinces as a consequence of progressing stenosis of the main artery. These alternative routes of blood supply are potentially able to alter the course of vascular disease. Collateral development is a time consuming process, and arterial stenosis and occlusion often progress faster than growth of the alternative routes.
The authors' ultimate goal is to provide a better understanding of collateral growth in order to pave the way for improving the conditions for these potentially selfhealing processes. These were programmed by nature but have not been perfected, probably because defenses against arterial disease had not been put under the pressure of natural selection.

Inhalt

1. Collateral arterial growth and reactivity: lessons from the limb and renal blood supply.- 2. Development of the vascular system of organs and tissues.- 3. Methods for assessing coronary collateral growth: insights into mechanisms responsible for collateral development.- 4. Coronary collateral development: concepts and hypotheses.- 5. Collateral vessel development in the porcine and canine heart Morphology revisited.- 6. Angiogenesis in porcine hearts with coronary microembolization.- 7. The role of growth factors during development of a collateral circulation in the porcine heart.- 8. Functional aspects of collateral development in animal models.- 9. Effect of exercise and pharmacologic interventions on coronary collateral blood flow.- 10. Function and development of coronary collateral vessels.- 11. The role of growth factors in collateral development.- 12. Interactions of the coronary and collateral circulations.- 13. Exercise induced coronary collateral development: a comparison to other models of myocardial angiogenesis.- 14. Collateral circulation of the brain.- 15. Limb collaterals.- 16. Neurohumoral and pharmacologic regulation of collateral perfusion.- 17. Venous level collaterals in the coronary system.- 18. Microvascular collaterals in the coronary circulation.- 19. Collateral development and function in man.