Structural and functional changes of the vessel wall after arterial injury are boosted by current smoking

Purpose: Long term structural changes of radial arteries (RA) after transradial cardiac catheterization procedures are known. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of current smoking on structural remodeling processes. Material and methods: 50 male patients (59 ± 10 years) undergoing cardiac catheterization via the radial artery (RA) were recruited. 21 of them were current smokers, 29 had discontinued smoking more than one year prior to study inclusion. Structural changes of the vessel wall were detected by IMT-measurement, functional changes by acquisition of the fractional diameter change (FDC). F…