title: A rat model for cerebral air microembolisation.
abstract: Subtle cerebral air microembolisation (CAM) is a typical complication of various medical interventions such as open heart surgery or angiography and can cause transient or permanent neurological and neuropsychological deficits. Evaluation of the underlying pathophysiology requires animal models that allow embolisation of air bubbles of defined diameter and number. Herein we present a method for the production of gas bubbles of defined diameter and their injection into the carotid artery of rats. The number of gas microemboli injected is quantified digitally using a high speed optical image capturing system and a custom-made software. In a first pilot study, 0, 50, 100, 400 and 800 gas bubbles of 160 microm in diameter were injected into the carotid artery of rats. Offline evaluation revealed a high constancy of the bubble diameters (mean 159.95+/-9.25 microm, range 144-188 microm) and the number of bubbles injected. First preliminary data indicate that with increasing number of bubbles embolised, more animals revealed neurological deficits and (particularly with higher bubble counts) brain infarctions on TTC-staining. Interestingly, also animals without overt infarcts on TTC-staining displayed neurological deficits in an apparently dose dependent fashion, indicating subtle brain damage by air embolism. In conclusion, the method presented allows injecting air bubbles of defined number and diameter into cerebral arteries of rats. This technique facilitates animal research in the field of air embolisation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Experimental Neurology Research Group, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Tibo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gerriets
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walberer
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nedelmann
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doenges
authors.forename: Nouha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ritschel
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stolz
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaps
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Urbanek
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Urbanek
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schoenburg
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020820:Dyskinesias / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D045423:Microbubbles / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012984:Software