Visualization of stroke with clinical MR imagers in rats: a feasibility study.
This experiment was conducted in compliance with the guidelines of the International Committee on Thrombosis and Hemostasis and the current institutional regulations for use and care of laboratory animals. The purpose of the present study was to report the feasibility of using clinical magnetic resonance (MR) imaging devices for depiction of stroke in a rat model. Twenty-four rats with photochemically induced thrombosis of the middle cerebral artery were examined at superacute (1 hour, n = 24), acute (12 hours, n = 12), and subacute (24 hours, n = 12) phases with 1.5-T MR imaging weighted for T1, T2, diffusion, and gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced perfusion. With reasonable signal-to-noise ratio and imaging times, ischemic lesions were well distinguished on MR images as validated qualitatively and quantitatively with postmortem standard-of-reference techniques, including volume-rendered computed tomography, microangiography, and histochemistry. In the superacute phase, the perfusion defect at perfusion-weighted MR imaging was well matched with microangiographic and pathologic findings (P > .05). There was no difference in lesion size at perfusion-weighted MR imaging between superacute and subacute phases (P > .05). Performance of certain stroke-related research in rats is feasible with clinical MR imagers.
Chen
Feng
F
Department of Radiology, University Hospitals, K. U. Leuven, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Suzuki
Yasuhiro
Y
Nagai
Nobuo
N
Peeters
Ronald
R
Coenegrachts
Kenneth
K
Coudyzer
Walter
W
Marchal
Guy
G
Ni
Yicheng
Y
D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003287:Contrast Media; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D020767:Intracranial Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008852:Microradiography; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA