Cardiac allograft pathology in Rhesus monkeys

Orthotopic, allogeneic heart transplantations were performed in 26 randomly selected rhesus monkeys to study the effect of immunosuppressive treatment on survival and cardiac morphology. The histological picture of the acute and chronically rejected hearts was similar to that described for acute and chronic cardiac allograft rejection in man. As seems to be the case in man, an obliterative arteritis of the coronary arteries appears to be the limiting factor in cardiac allograft survival in the rhesus monkey. Immunosuppressive treatment with either Imuran and ALS or Imuran, ALS, and Prednisone could not prevent the occurrence of obliterative arteritis of the coronary arteries. Contrary to the observation in man, no atherosclerotic changes were found in the affected parts of the coronary arteries or in the non-diseased parts.