Atherosclerosis, the most common disease in humans and also the main cause of death in the Western world, only develops after an intima is formed. The intima is defined as the region of the arterial wall from the endothelial surface to the luminal margin of the media.
This volume considers all aspects of intima formation based on results which had been obtained by studying three different models:
- Spontaneous intima formation;
- Experimentally induced intima formation;
- Latrogeneously induced intima formation.

1. General Introduction

2. Intimal Cushion Formation and Diffuse Intimal Thickening in Human Lower Limb Arteries
3. Spontaneous Intima Formation in Rabbit Arteries
4. The Triphasic Sequence of Neo-Intima Formation in Cuffed Rabbit Carotid Arteries
5. The Endothelium During Cuff-Induced Neo-Intima Formation in the Rabbit Carotid Artery
6. The Relationship Between Pre-Existing Subendothelial Smooth Muscle Cell Accumulations and Foam Cell Lesions in Cholesterol-Fed Rabbits
7. The Early Transformation of Human Aorto-Coronary Saphenous Vein Grafts
8. The Thickened Intima in Long-Standing Aorto-Coronary Saphenous Vein Grafts
9. Summary and General Conclusion
Appendix-General Methods
Standard Histological Techniques
Immunohistochemical Techniques
Transmission Electron Microscopy
Scanning Electron Microscopy.