title: Towards a glioma model for surgical technique evaluation in the rat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evaluation of new surgical techniques in animal models is frequently challenging. This article describes the pitfalls, peculiarities and the final best applicable model for evaluating surgical techniques for glioma resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The C6 glioma cell line and the Sprague-Dawley rat strain were selected. Fifty-thousand glioma cells were stereotactically transplanted in the left hemisphere of 137 male adult rats. Evaluation of solid tumour formation, tumour growth and scheduling of surgical resection was performed by MR scanning at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after transplantation and 3 and 6 months after tumour resection. Microsurgical tumour resection was performed with conventional techniques or with the waterjet dissector at a pressure of 6 bar. One subgroup of each surgical technique was sacrificed directly after surgery for histological analysis. The other subgroup was followed up for long-term analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The transplantation site was of great importance. After transplantation of tumour cells posterior to the bregma, intra-ventricular tumour growth with spreading occurred. Homogenous and reproducible tumour growth was achieved after grafting cells lateral - 3 mm, anterior + 1 mm, and - 2.5 mm ventral to the bregma. After development of solid tumours on MR imaging, animals were subjected to surgery. MR and intra-operative findings corresponded well. However, MRI and intra-operative none-detectable perivascular tumour spreading was histologically observed in the majority of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presented glioma rat model consisting of the C6 cell line and Sprague-Dawley rats as recipients is a well-suited model to investigate surgical techniques and their impact on tumour therapy. However, the site of transplantation, the preparation of cell grafts and the technique of tumour growth evaluation is of utmost importance to achieve reliable results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Saarland , Homburg-Saar , Germany.
authors.forename: Doerthe
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keiner
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heimann
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kronfeld
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.forename: Wibke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mueller-Forell
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kempski
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oertel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000637:transplantation