Lumen size appears to influence whether arterial remodeling results in dilatation or shrinkage in response to expanding lesions in the carotid artery.
Lumen diameter may shape carotid remodeling patterns; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
BACKGROUND: Arterial remodeling exhibits a bidirectional capacity. Whether lumen size affects remodeling response to lesion change is unknown. METHODS: Prospective study by duplex ultrasonography over 2 years in 61 subjects with coronary artery disease. Direction and magnitude of vessel remodeling are calculated for internal carotid, bifurcation, and common carotid artery segments. RESULTS: A linear trend is discernible between lumen diameter and direction and magnitude of remodeling at sites of expanding intima-media thickness (IMT) or plaque. Rate of lesion change varied inversely with lesion thickness with an inflection between rates for low-dimension IMT and plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Dilatation versus shrinkage in the remodeling response to expanding lesions appears related to lumen size. IMT and plaque exhibit independent biologies.
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Boyajian et al. (2003) studied this question.
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