Establishment of interventional access via the sheathing of the caudal artery in rats / 中风与神经疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

@#Objective　Digital silhouette angiography in animal models is limited by the lack of methods that can perform continuous intra-arterial manipulations.We aimed to investigate the way that allowed to repeat interventional maneuvers through a single sheath access in the rat caudal artery.Methods　Six adult male Sprague Dawley rats (650~700 g) were anesthetized,the caudal arteries were exposed and a fish-mouth-shaped incision was made with a microscissor.After the access was established,whole brain angiography and aortic dilatation with balloon and stent catheters were performed via the tail artery sheath access to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the tail artery sheathing method as an interventional access.Results　The diameter of caudal artery approximately (1.19±0.14) mm,and the 18G sheath was successfully implanted with guidewire.The sheathing time of the caudal artery (11.00±1.90 min,P<0.01) was significantly reduced compared with the carotid artery (24.50±4.50) min and the femoral artery (18.17±3.43) min.A balloon catheter and a stent catheter could be passed through the caudal artery sheath and released in the aorta,and the catheter could be withdrawn smoothly after the release.Each rat can be used for multiple tail artery sheathing operations,and repeatable angiographic and interventional procedures can be performed through a single sheath channel.Conclusions　The method of establishing interventional access using a sheath introduced through the rat tail artery is suitable for intravascular imaging,treatment,and the construction of rat animal models.This method further enhances the scope of application of rats as human disease models.