Cerebral ischemia and infarction from atheroemboli <100 microm in Size.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the importance of emboli not trapped by carotid angioplasty filtration devices, we examined fragments <100 microm released with ex vivo angioplasty and asked if fragment composition and size correlated with brain injury.


METHODS
Human carotid plaques (21) were excised en bloc, and ex vivo carotid angioplasty was performed. Eight plaques were selected as either highly calcified (4) or highly fibrotic (4) by high-resolution MRI (200 microm3). Fragments were counted by a Coulter counter. Before injection into male Sprague-Dawley rats, fragments from calcified and fibrotic plaques were sized with 60-, 100-, and 200-microm filters. Brain ischemia and infarction were assessed by MRI scans (7-T small-bore magnet) and by immunohistologic staining for HSP70 and NueN.


RESULTS
All 5 animals injected with 100- to 200-microm calcified fragments had infarctions. One was lethal. After injection of 60- to 100-microm calcified fragments, 7 of 12 animals had cerebral infarctions, whereas only 1 of 11 had infarctions with fibrous fragments (P<0.02). HSP70 staining showed that ischemia was more common and more extensive than infarction. Ischemia was found in 10 of 12 animals after injection of calcified fragments and in 9 of 11 after injection of fibrous fragments. The mean number of 60- to 100-microm fragments released was 375+/-510; the mean number of 20- to 60-microm fragments was 34 196 (range, 2230 to 186 927).


CONCLUSIONS
Hundreds of thousands of microemboli can be shed during carotid angioplasty. Fragments from calcified plaques cause greater levels of infarction than fragments from fibrous plaques, although ischemia is common with both fragment types.
Rapp
Joseph H
JH
Surgical Service (112G), San Francisco DVA Medical Center, 4150 Clement St, San Francisco, Calif 94121, USA. rappj@surgery.ucsf.edu
Pan
Xian Mang
XM
Yu
Bo
B
Swanson
Raymond A
RA
Higashida
Randall T
RT
Simpson
Paul
P
Saloner
David
D
D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000009:adverse effects; D000818:Animals; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D005374:Filtration; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D008875:Middle Aged; D010316:Particle Size; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D019786:Gadolinium DTPA