Arterial Dilatation-Related Diseases: The Prerequisite Condition of Arterial Elastic Tissue Damage and Endovascular Treatment

The elastic tissue is one of the structural components of arteries, contributing to the arterial elasticity and tensile strength, and acts as a barrier to the diffusion of large molecules. It participates in many disease processes including aneurysms, atherosclerosis, arteriovenous malformation, fibromuscular dysplasia and moyamoya disease. Moreover, it is involved in the process of arterial dilatation and plays a crucial role in the development of aneurysms. This paper sought to review the changes of the elastic tissue in arterial-dilatation-related diseases and a possible role the elastic tissue plays in these diseases. In the end, recent patents in treating these arterial dilatation-related diseases using endovascular approaches were reviewed.