Transient changes of vascular smooth muscle tone and myogenic response to acute hypertension

Summary form only given. We studied the biomechanical adaptation of the rat common carotid artery to acute hypertension. Hypertension was induced by aortic banding. Measurements were performed 2, 4, 8 and 56 days after surgery. Pressure increased from 92/spl plusmn/2 mm Hg to 148/spl plusmn/1 mm Hg. Hypertension leads to an 18% thickness increase within 8 days. The vascular smooth muscle increased significantly its basal tone as well as its myogenic tone within the first period following the induction hypertension, but in the long-term tone returned to control levels. A biomechanical model has been elaborated to describe the evolution of this transient changes in vascular tone.