Structural and Functional Changes of the Thoracic Aorta in Experimental Arterial Hypertension.

The functional characteristics of the thoracic aorta in Wistar rat with experimental arterial hypertension were studied using MRI. The intravital images of the aorta were obtained using a synchronizer of cardiac and respiratory cycles. The pulse-gradient Turbo-spin-echo sequence and the BODY CARDIAC movie 10 mode were used. The unfavorable factor of increased BP initiated structural and functional changes in the thoracic aorta. At the initial stages, they manifested by an increase of the lumen and a decrease in endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Progression of arterial hypertension (3-6 months) was associated with narrowing of the lumen of both ascending and descending parts of the aorta. Deformation of the aortic arch due to increased density of the vascular wall was observed by the sixth month of the development of arterial hypertension.