Focal cerebral ischemia in rats produced by intracarotid embolization with viscous silicone. Neurol Res 2002 Mar;24(2):181-90
Date
03/07/2002Pubmed ID
11877903DOI
10.1179/016164102101199594Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0036179665 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 17 CitationsAbstract
Many factors contribute to the severity of neuronal cell death and the functional outcome in stroke. We describe an embolic model of focal cerebral ischemia in the rat that does not require craniotomy and is compatible with continuous measurement of regional CBF using multichannel laser Doppler flow (LDF) technique. Either a 22 microliters (large lesion) or 11 microliters (small lesion) bolus of viscous silicone was injected cephalad into the internal carotid artery. Upon injection, LDF decreased abruptly, most severely in the parietal cortex (-74% +/- 5%) in the large lesion and in the occipital cortex (-69% +/- 10%) in the small lesion model. Over the first hour, post-embolization LDF improved in most areas (e.g. -48% +/- 9% parietal, large lesion) but declined in the small lesion group in the occipital region (-81% +/- 8%). CBF measured by [C]14-IAP autoradiography 1 h post-embolization in the large lesion model demonstrated near-hemispheric ischemia (70% of hemisphere) with sparing of cingulate cortex. Autoradiography demonstrated that ischemia in the small lesion was largely cortical. Light microscopy of brains embolized with 11 microliters of dyed silicone showed filling of pial vessels with no silicone in the Circle of Willis or parenchyma. No animals in the large lesion group survived 24 h. Thirteen of 15 animals in the small lesion group survived for two weeks with resolution of initial hemiplegia, ocular asymmetry and weight loss. Hematoxylin-eosin staining two weeks post-embolization showed signs of severe hypoxia and infarction. In conclusion, the intracarotid silicone embolization technique produces a titrable, reproducible permanent ischemic injury by blocking perfusion in the pial circulation, and is amenable to multisite monitoring with laser Doppler flowmetry. The smaller embolus produces cortical infarction with high rate of survival and neurological recovery.
Author List
Lauer KK, Shen H, Stein EA, Ho KC, Kampine JP, Hudetz AGAuthor
Kathryn K. Lauer MD Emeritus Professor in the Anesthesiology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsBrain
Brain Ischemia
Carotid Arteries
Cerebral Infarction
Cerebrovascular Circulation
Cerebrovascular Disorders
Coloring Agents
Disease Models, Animal
Disease Progression
Intracranial Embolism
Laser-Doppler Flowmetry
Male
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Silicon Compounds
Stroke
Time Factors
Vascular Surgical Procedures
