Photothrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion laser system in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To establish a less invasive and reproducible focal ischemia model in the rat, we adopted a 2-laser system (ie, photothrombosis and YAG laser-induced reperfusion). METHODS The distal middle cerebral artery (MCA) of spontaneously hypertensive rats was occluded by 568-nm krypton laser and intravenous infusion of the photosensitizing dye rose bengal and was recanalized by 355-nm ultraviolet laser irradiation. Cerebral blood flow was determined by laser-Doppler flowmetry at the penumbral cortex. Infarct volume was determined at 3 days after distal MCA occlusion. RESULTS Brain temperature determined with infrared thermography was maintained within an acceptable range of approximately 1 degrees C upper shift of the center of brain temperature distribution during krypton or YAG laser irradiation. The average of the values (23 experiments; n=163) of coefficient of variation of infarct volume was 21+/-6%, indicating high reproducibility of this model. After distal MCA occlusion, cerebral blood flow was decreased to 32+/-16% of the control values and was increased to 98+/-21% after YAG laser-induced reperfusion. Infarct volume in these rats was 61+/-18 mm3 (coefficient of variation=30%; n=6). CONCLUSIONS We have characterized a highly reproducible focal ischemia model utilizing a 2-laser system, one to induce thrombotic MCA occlusion and the other to facilitate reperfusion.