A comparison of balloon injury models of endovascular lesions in rat arteries

Abstract

Abstract Background Balloon injury (BI) of the rat carotid artery (CCA) is widely used to study intimal hyperplasia (IH) and decrease in lumen diameter (LD), but CCA's small diameter impedes the evaluation of endovascular therapies. Therefore, we validated BI in the aorta (AA) and iliac artery (CIA) to compare it with CCA. Methods Rats underwent BI or a sham procedure (control). Light microscopic evaluation was performed either directly or at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 16 weeks follow-up. The area of IH and the change in LD (LD at 16 weeks minus LD post BI) were compared. Results In the BI-groups the area of IH increased to 0.14 ± 0.08 mm2 (CCA), 0.14 ± 0.03 mm2 (CIA) and 0.12 ± 0.04 mm2 (AA) at 16 weeks (NS). The LD decreased with 0.49 ± 0.07 mm (CCA), compared to 0.22 ± 0.07 mm (CIA) and 0.07 ± 0.10 mm (AA) at 16 weeks (p Conclusions BI resulted in: (1.) a decrease in LD in CCA due to IH, (2.) a decrease in LD in CIA due to IH and CVR, (3.) no change in LD in AA, (4.) Comparable IH development in all arteries, (5.) CCA has no vasa vasorum compared to CIA and AA, (6.) The CIA model combines good access for 2 F endovascular catheters with a decrease in LD due to IH and CVR after BI.

Keywords

• balloon injury
• rats
• remodelling
• restenosis