Animal Models of Restenosis and Intimal Hyperplasia in Cardiovascular Percutaneous Interventions: A Narrative Review

Background: Restenosis and intimal hyperplasia following arterial bypass surgery or percutaneous interventions remain major clinical challenges that significantly impair long-term vessel patency and clinical outcomes, despite substantial technological progress. Preclinical research aimed at understanding the biological mechanisms underlying restenosis and developing effective therapeutic strategies relies heavily on experimental animal models. Methods: A narrative review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies describing animal models of restenosis and intimal hyperplasia following percutaneous cardiovascular interventions. Results: The reviewed studies describe a broad range of animal models, including rodents, rabbits, swine, and other large animals, with each species exhibiting distinct anatomical, physiological, and pathological characteristics that influence its suitability for studying restenosis and intimal hyperplasia. Considerable interspecies variability exists in vascular healing responses, inflammatory processes, and translational relevance. Conclusions: Animal models remain indispensable tools for investigating restenosis and intimal hyperplasia and for evaluating novel pharmacological and device-based therapies. Understanding interspecies differences is essential for designing appropriate experimental studies and interpreting findings. Careful animal model selection is critical to improving translational relevance and facilitating successful clinical translation.