Animal model for percutaneous creation of traumatic thoracic aortic transection.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to create an animal model for thoracic aortic transection that is suitable for thoracic endograft research.


METHODS
Percutaneous aortic transection creation was attempted in 12 sheep. A custom collapsible circumferential cutting device was inserted into the proximal descending thoracic aorta via a femoral approach with an 11-F delivery catheter. The device was deployed 2 cm distal to the left subclavian artery origin and rotated 20 times to create aortic transection. Aortic diameters, mean aortic pressures, and heart rates were tested for degrees of difference between measurements before and after the creation of transection. On necropsy, the extent of aortic damage was classified as none, nontransmural, or transmural, and aortic transection was classified as none, partial, or circumferential.


RESULTS
On angiography, creation of transmural thoracic aortic transection was successful in 91.7% (11/12) of animals. Aortic transection was circumferential in 54.4% (6/11) of animals and partial in 45.6% (5/11) of animals. Mean aortic diameter was 19.6 +/- 3.4 mm (range 12-24 mm) pre-transection and 25.8 +/- 4.5 mm (range 17.8-33 mm) post-transection (P = .0003). Pre-transection, mean aortic pressure was 79 +/- 13.8 mmHg, and 64.6 +/- 15.8 mmHg 15 min post-transection (P = .041). Pre-transection, mean heart rate was 94.5 +/- 17.2 beats per minute (bpm), and 105.8 +/- 17.2 bpm 15 min post-transection (P = .0057).


CONCLUSIONS
Thoracic aortic transection was successfully created percutaneously in most animals. The animals remained in hemodynamically stable condition for as long as 240 minutes after the creation of aortic injury. This percutaneous animal model is straightforward and may be of potential value for future thoracic endograft research.
Hoppe
Hanno
H
Dotter Interventional Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA. hanno.hoppe@web.de
Park
Won-Kyu
WK
Correa
Luiz O
LO
Lu
Wie
W
Liu
Long
L
Timmermanns
Hans A
HA
Pavcnik
Dusan
D
Uchida
Barry T
BT
Song
Howard K
HK
Rösch
Josef
J
Kaufman
John A
JA
D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000295:instrumentation; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001027:Aortography; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012756:Sheep; D016306:Vena Cava Filters; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology