[Carotid-basilar artery communication in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)].
BACKGROUND
Since 1966 when Levine and Payan observed that the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) was unusually susceptible to cerebral infarction following occlusion of one or both common carotid arteries, the model has been used for the experimental study of cerebral ischemia.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the presence of anterior-posterior arterial communication in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).


METHODS
26 animals were used and divided in the following groups: 1. Bilateral carotid ligation (n = 10); 2. Unilateral left carotid ligation (n = 5); 3. Unilateral carotid right carotid ligation (n = 5); and 4. Control group without carotid ligation (n = 6).


RESULTS
Postmortem intra-aortic dye injection demonstrated communication between anterior and posterior cerebral arteries in 30% of gerbils that previously were subjected to bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. A number of vessels, between 8.95-11.35 microns in diameter, were linking the basilar artery with the posterior cerebral artery. In the remaining animals, the absence of communication was confirmed.


CONCLUSIONS
Communicating carotid-basilar in lower number of cases and anastomosis the smallest diameter to give the gerbil advantage on others species as model of experimental regional ischemia.
Castro-Pacheco
A
A
Unidad de Investigación Médica de Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), México DF, México.
Foyo-Niembro
E
E
Pérez-Pérez
V
V
García-Hernández
J
J
Grijalva
I
I
D000818:Animals; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002244:Carbon; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D013045:Species Specificity
D004396:Coloring Agents; C028433:chinese ink; D002244:Carbon