A new ischemic model using a radiofrequency wire electrode in a rabbit hindlimb

The purpose of this study was to establish an ischemic rabbit hindlimb model using a radiofrequency (RF) wire electrode. We inserted a polytetrafluoroethylene-coated wire with a 2-cm exposed tip into the left superficial femoral artery of seven New Zealand white rabbits and performed RF ablation (RFA) while pulling the wire back. We assessed the clinical findings, angiography, computed tomography perfusion, and permeability surface until 6 weeks after RFA. The angiography demonstrated complete obstruction from the proximal external iliac artery to the distal superficial femoral artery and showed a gradual increment in the angiogenic score, which represents the degree of angiogenesis (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001). The left-to-right ratios of the computed tomography perfusion and permeability surface were significantly reduced after 4 days (p < 0.05), and then they gradually increased with time. We conclude that endovascular RFA using an RF wire electrode is a reproducible and measurable way to create an ischemic rabbit hindlimb model.