Molecular Biology of Collateral Circulation

According to 1997 estimates, 59,700,700 Americans (about 22% of the U.S. population) have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The statistics on the cause of death are even worse: 41.2% of all deaths are caused by some form of CVD [1]. Occlusive arterial diseases secondary to atherosclerosis and thrombosis are also the main cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Advances in conservative treatment as well as interventional and surgical revascularization have improved the prognosis of CVD patients. However, these different types of treatment do not cure, but only delay vital complications underlying the palliative character of present therapies.