title: Angiographic evaluation of the rat carotid balloon injury model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The rat carotid balloon-injury (BI) model is a widely used model of intimal hyperplasia (IH) and vascular remodeling. A variable degree of IH after BI has been previously reported, and we have encountered technical challenges and suboptimal results with the original method.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the original rat carotid artery BI method with the use of micro-angiography. We tested the hypothesis that in order to obtain an optimal arterial response, BI should be limited to the common carotid artery with preservation of blood flow.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The left common carotid artery (CCA) was injured by one of three different methods. Carotid angiograms and pathology were examined 14 days after BI. A 2F Fogarty balloon catheter inflated to 2 atm inside the aortic arch would not slide back into the common carotid artery until deflation to 0.5 to 0.7 atm. Four out of five (80%) vessels injured with this method developed excessive inflammation without discernible IH. Six out of nine (66%) arteries that underwent BI limited to the CCA at 2 atm developed the largest angiographic stenosis (p=0.003) and IH (0.20±0.03 mm(2), p=0.028). Ten out of eleven (91%) arteries injured with a variable pressure of 1.5 to 2.2 atm, based on the operator's feedback, developed considerable IH (0.12±0.02 mm(2)). All injured carotid arteries with preserved blood flow on angiography developed IH with intact histological boundaries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Optimal IH with preservation of histological boundaries is achieved by graded BI limited to the CCA that preserves carotid blood flow.
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery, 2500 N State Street Jackson, MS 39216, USA. lorozco-castillo@umc.edu
authors.forename: Ludwig D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Orozco
authors.forename: Huiling
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Betty B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fratkin
authors.forename: Eddie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perkins
mesh_terms: D000792:Angiography; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D002404:Catheterization; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley