A modified double injection model of cisterna magna for the study of delayed cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats

Abstract

Delayed cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious medical complication, characterized by constriction of cerebral arteries leading to varying degrees of cerebral ischemia. Numerous clinical and experimental studies have been performed in the last decades; however, the pathophysiologic mechanism of cerebral vasospasm after SAH still remains unclear. Among a variety of experimental SAH models, the double hemorrhage rat model involving direct injection of autologous arterial blood into the cisterna magna has been used most frequently for the study of delayed cerebral vasospasm following SAH in last years. Despite the simplicity of the technique, the second blood injection into the cisterna magna may result in brainstem injury leading to high mortality. Therefore, a modified double hemorrhage model of cisterna magna has been developed in rat recently. We describe here step by step the surgical technique to induce double SAH and compare the degree of vasospasm with other cisterna magna rat models using histological assessment of the diameter and cross-sectional area of the basilar artery.

Concomitant aneurysm detection in an intracranial dolichoectasia mouse model using a MicroFil polymer perfusion technique

“…Briefly, animals were anesthetized and the cisterna magna was exposed 8 9. Then 25 mU elastase was injected into the cisterna magna under a dissection microscope.…”

Elastase-Induced Intracranial Dolichoectasia Model in Mice

“…Under the dissection microscope, the subcutaneous tissue and muscles (m. biventer cervicis and m. rectus capitis dorsalis major) were bluntly separated and held apart by a pair of micro retractors to expose the cisterna magna. 15,16 Using a 10-mL micro Nanofil syringe (World Precision Instruments, Inc., Sarasota, Florida) with 36-gauge beveled needle, the elastase (Worthington Biochemical Corporation, Lakewood, New Jersey) in 2.5 mL PBS was injected into the CM under dissection microscope. The skin was closed in a continuous pattern using Vicryl 6-0, and then the mice were allowed to recover on the heating pad.…”

The ESAS-score: A histological severity grading system of subarachnoid hemorrhage using the modified double hemorrhage model in rats

“…Today, mostly rodents were used for induction of experimental SAH (eSAH). So far, different SAH-models have been described in rodents [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. In order to allow a more reliable correlation of outcome parameters with the eSAH severity and better comparability of SAH-models, the definition of a comprehensive grading system for the severity of an eSAH is useful.…”