Focal middle cerebral artery ischemia in rats via a transfemoral approach using a custom designed microwire. (2nd May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Divani, Afshin A; Chow, Ricky; Sadeghi-Bazargani, Homayoun; Murphy, Amanda J; Nordberg, Jessica A; Tokarev, Julian V; Hevesi, Mario; Wang, Xiao; Zhu, Xiao-Hong; Acompanado, Tommy; Edwards, Peter A; Zhang, Yi; Chen, Wei
• Is Part Of: Journal of neurointerventional surgery. Volume 8:Number 6(2016)
• Page Start: 608
• Page End: 614
• Publication Date: 2015-05-02
• Subjects: guidewire -- Stroke -- Device -- Angiography; Nervous system -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Cerebrovascular disease -- Surgery -- Periodicals; 617.48
• DOI: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2014-011607
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1759-8478

Abstract

Abstract : Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a reliable and repeatable method of inducing focal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) in rats without ligation of the external carotid artery (ECA), while reducing the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: We prototyped microwires with different diameters (0.0120 inch, 0.0115 inch, 0.0110 inch), materials, and construction methods (coil-on-core, extruded polymer jacket-on-core). Under fluoroscopic guidance and using femoral artery access, the microwires were navigated into the internal carotid artery of male Wistar rats (n=50, weight 376±64 g) to induce MCAo for 1 or 2 h. We performed neurological assessments at baseline, and at 3, 24, 72, and 168 h after MCAo. MRI measurements were performed on a 9.4 T scanner at 1 and 7 days post-injury. Results: The 0.0115 inch microwire with polymer jacket-on-core provided the most successful outcome. At 1 and 7 days post-injury, we observed similar infarction volumes for 1 and 2 h MCAo in the MRI study. Infarcted lesion volumes in both MCAo groups were significantly reduced at 7 days compared with 1 day post-injury. The trend in longitudinal changes for the scores of different neurological assessments was confirmed to be significant after the injury, but both groups showed a similar trend of neurological deficits over the course of the study. Conclusions: We have developed a reliable and repeatable MCAo method in rats, allowing for precise occlusion of the MCA under direct fluoroscopic visualization without alteration of the cerebral hemodynamics associated with ECA ligation. The custom designed microwire can also be sized for targeted focal ischemia in larger animals.