Wire-induced myocardial ischemia: a novel approach to create myocardial ischemia in rats.
BACKGROUND
Animal models are indispensable in order to investigate the mechanism of various diseases and to explore the counter measures for those disease states. Although there are several animal models of ischemic heart diseases, surgical interventions required to create myocardial ischemia sometimes give rise to a problem in the yield of model. This study describes a new technique for inducing myocardial ischemia in rats.


RESULTS
A 0.014-inch guidewire was introduced via the carotid artery and selectively advanced into the coronary arteries under fluoroscopy. Transmural myocardial ischemia was confirmed by ST-segment elevation and by the appearance of left ventricular wall motion abnormalities on the echocardiogram. Reversibility of the wire-induced myocardial ischemia was demonstrated by complete resolution of both ST-segment elevation and wall motion abnormalities after removing the wire.


CONCLUSIONS
Wire-induced myocardial ischemia was reproducible and is less invasive than conventional ischemic models in rats. This method is a powerful and useful tool for the investigation of ischemic heart disease in small animals.
Urasawa
Kazushi
K
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. kazurasa@med.hokudai.ac.jp
Sakai
Hidetsugu
H
Saito
Takahiko
T
Oyama
Naotsugu
N
Kaneta
Satoshi
S
Kitabatake
Akira
A
D000818:Animals; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004617:Embolism / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D023421:Models, Animal; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012685:Sepharose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D014463:Ultrasonography
D012685:Sepharose