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Updated: Aug 25, 2026
Semi-Minimal Invasive Method to Induce Myocardial Infarction in Rats and the Assessment of Cardiac Function by an Isolated Working Heart System
Published on: June 11, 2020
Wire-induced myocardial ischemia: a novel approach to create myocardial ischemia in rats
Kazushi Urasawa1, Hidetsugu Sakai, Takahiko Saito
1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. kazurasa@med.hokudai.ac.jp
Background:
Animal models are indispensable in order to investigate the mechanism of various diseases and to explore the counter measures for those disease states. Although there are several animal models of ischemic heart diseases, surgical interventions required to create myocardial ischemia sometimes give rise to a problem in the yield of model. This study describes a new technique for inducing myocardial ischemia in rats.
Methods And Results:
A 0.014-inch guidewire was introduced via the carotid artery and selectively advanced into the coronary arteries under fluoroscopy. Transmural myocardial ischemia was confirmed by ST-segment elevation and by the appearance of left ventricular wall motion abnormalities on the echocardiogram. Reversibility of the wire-induced myocardial ischemia was demonstrated by complete resolution of both ST-segment elevation and wall motion abnormalities after removing the wire.
Conclusion:
Wire-induced myocardial ischemia was reproducible and is less invasive than conventional ischemic models in rats. This method is a powerful and useful tool for the investigation of ischemic heart disease in small animals.
