Delayed decompressive craniectomy improves the long-term outcomes in hypertensive rats with space-occupying cerebral infarction.
OBJECTIVE
No experimental data has been published on the long-term effects of decompressive craniotomy in hypertensive rats with space-occupying cerebral infarction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of decompressive craniectomy in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of hypertensive rats in a prolonged period.


METHODS
Totally 92 stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive rats (RHRSP) were subjected to left MCAO by an endovascular occlusion technique. The decompressive craniectomy was performed on 26 RHRSP at 1 and 24 h after MCAO, respectively. Infarct volume, neurological performance, and mortality were evaluated at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after MCAO.


RESULTS
The mortality was reduced from 52.5% in controls to 7.7% and 23.1% in the rats underwent craniectomy at 1 and 24 h after MCAO, respectively (P < 0.05, respectively). All of the treated rats presented smaller infarct volume from 1 week to 8 weeks and better neurological performance at 4-8 weeks after MCAO compared to the controls (P < 0.05, respectively). The craniectomy at early stage was more effective than that at late stage in reducing infarct volume and improving neurological performances at 1 and 2 weeks (P < 0.05, respectively). However, there was no significant difference in infarct volume and neurological scores between the treated groups of rats at 4 and 8 weeks after MCAO (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Although the early craniectomy is more effective than delayed craniectomy in improving short-term outcome, the latter has the similar beneficial effects as early craniectomy on long-term outcome in hypertensive rats with space-occupying cerebral infarction.
Zhao
Zhan
Z
Department of Neurology and Stroke Centre, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China. Zhanzhao205@163.com
Yu
Jian
J
Liao
Songjie
S
Xiong
Li
L
Liang
Zhijian
Z
Ling
Li
L
Wang
Fang
F
Hou
Qinghua
Q
Zhou
Wenliang
W
Pei
Zhong
Z
Zeng
Jinsheng
J
D000818:Animals; D003399:Craniotomy / Q000379:methods*; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006978:Hypertension, Renovascular / Q000150:complications*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
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