Distribution of intimal smooth muscle cell masses and their relationship to early atherosclerosis in the abdominal aortas of young swine.

In the abdominal aortas of young mash-fed swine, intimal cell masses (pads, cushions) are located predominantly away from blood vessel orifices. They are found scattered throughout the aorta but nevertheless have a definite pattern of distribution. In the distal one half of the abdominal aorta, they are more frequent in the ventral quandrant than in the dorsal or either lateral quadrant. In the proximal half, intimal cell masses are more frequent in the dorsal quadrant. When experimental atherosclerosis is induced in the abdominal aortas of young swine by either a hypercholesterolemic diet or by aortic ballooning followed by a hypercholesterolemic diet, the distribution of early lesions is similar. The lesions are found predominantly in quadrants where intimal cell masses were found to be most frequent in the control group of swine. The results suggest that most of the lesions, though not necessarily all, arose from pre-existing intimal cell masses beneath the aortic surface.