Scanning electron microscopic study of the effects of pressure on the luminal surface of the rabbit aorta.

The effects of pressure on the luminal surface of the rabbit aorta were investigated using the scanning electron microscope. The method followed was perfusion under hydrostatic pressure of a section of thoracic aorta, in vitro. The characteristic ridged pattern seen in sections fixed at zero hydrostatic pressure was to a large extent eliminated when fixation occurred at pressures equivalent to those experienced by the aorta at systole or diastole. This study suggests that the spiral ridged pattern is dependent upon the fixation pressure and may not be present in a normally functioning artery. Any attempts to characterize or interpret the appearance of the luminal arterial wall must take into account the effects of pressure.