Practicability and reliability of model of cerebral infarction in dog by microneurosurgical technique

The authors used somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and the electron microscope to evaluate the practicability and reliability of a model of cerebral infarction produced by microneurosurgery in the dog. Complete cerebral hemisphere infarction was produced by occluding various vessels from the circle of Willis. After occlusion, there was a precipitous decrease in the amplitude of cerebral cortical components (85.65 +/- 20.85 and 91.88 +/- 24.59 microV before compared to 4.08 +/- 1.99 and 2.85 +/- 1.38 microV after occlusion, P less than .001). The majority of the neurons at the 6th hour after occlusion became degenerated and contained no recognizable organelles. This study shows that the occlusion of various vessels from the base of the brain by microneurosurgery could produce a practical, reliable model of infarction with a high rate of success. The size and location of infarction can be controlled, and it is suitable for intracranial microvascular research.