Complete reversibility of physiological coronary vascular abnormalities in hypertrophied hearts produced by pressure overload in the rat.

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Abstract
Using an experimental model of ascending aortic banding in the rat, we examined whether coronary circulation abnormalities in hypertrophied hearts are reversible after debanding. 4-wk banding produced significant increases in in vivo left ventricular (LV) pressure (194 +/- 13 vs. 114 +/- 9 mmHg in shamoperated controls) and LV dry wt/body wt (48 +/- 5% above controls). In isolated hearts perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer, coronary flow rate (CFR) was estimated under nonworking conditions. During maximal vasodilation after 1 min-ischemia, CFR at a coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) of 100 mmHg and CFR/myocardidial mass at CPPs of 100 and 150 mmHg decreased significantly (72 +/- 5%; 53 +/- 4 and 61 +/- 4% of controls). 1 or 4 wk after debanding, LV systolic pressures were similar to control values, and the degree of myocardial hypertrophy decreased to levels 23 +/- 6 (P less than 0.01) and 11 +/- 6% (P less than 0.01) above their control values, respectively. At 1 wk there was no significant increase in CFR/myocardial mass, compared to values in the banded group (67 +/- 8 vs. 53 +/- 4% of controls at 100 mmHg and 67 +/- 9 vs. 61 +/- 4% at 150 mmHg of CPP). At 4 wk, CFR and the ratio had increased toward normal. Thus, decreased coronary perfusion in hypertrophied hearts is completely reversible.