Transfemoral selective "intraluminal wiring" technique for transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

While the intraluminal thread technique to induce middle cerebral artery occlusion is widely used in animal models of focal cerebral ischemia, it has several drawbacks. The present study describes a new technique involving transfemoral selective intraluminal wiring, and evaluates its technical feasibility, effectiveness, and safety. Twenty-four Wistar rats were used in this work: two for a vascular anatomy study and 22 subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion for 1 h by our new transfemoral selective "intraluminal wiring" technique. After 24 h of reperfusion, the animals were evaluated neurologically, and then were sacrificed. Macroscopic, histological (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), hematoxylin-eosin and TUNEL), and biochemical (DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activity) studies were performed to assess the extent of brain damage produced by focal ischemia. Technical success was obtained in all 22 animals. Signs of focal ischemia and reperfusion, such as necrosis and apoptosis, were detected in the middle cerebral artery territory. No subarachnoid hemorrhage was noticed in any animal. Transfemoral selective intraluminal wiring appears to be a reliable, safe, and minimally invasive technique to induce transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats.