Surgical technique for venous patch aneurysms with no neck in a rabbit model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Vascular Surgery
• Animal Models

Background:

• Animal studies are vital for advancing endovascular treatments for intracranial aneurysms.
• Developing reliable aneurysm models is essential for testing new devices and techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a reproducible surgical technique for creating wide-neck intracranial aneurysms in rabbits.
• To establish a challenging yet stable model for evaluating endovascular therapies.

Main Methods:

• Surgically created 30 no-neck aneurysms in 15 New Zealand White rabbits using jugular vein segments.
• Standardized the technique after initial development, creating 16 consecutive aneurysms.
• Confirmed aneurysm size and patency using digital subtraction angiography after a mean of 120 days.

Main Results:

• Achieved an overall aneurysm patency rate of 93%.
• Median aneurysm dimensions were 6.7 mm (base) and 3.2 mm (height).
• Reported three complications, two related to vascular anastomosis.

Conclusions:

• The described technique reliably creates reproducible, patent, wide-neck aneurysms.
• This model is suitable for evaluating embolization devices and techniques, especially for challenging aneurysm types.
• The model aids in exploring treatment options for wide-neck and unconventional aneurysms.