Log on / register
BioMed Central home | Journals A-Z | Feedback | Support | My details
Open AccessShort report

In vivo MRI assessment of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion by electrocoagulation: pitfalls of procedure

Fabien Chauveau1* email, Samir Moucharrafie2* email, Marlène Wiart1 email, Jean-Christophe Brisset1 email, Yves Berthezène1 email, Norbert Nighoghossian1,2 email and Tae-Hee Cho2 email

CREATIS, CNRS UMR 5220, INSERM U 630, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, France

Cerebrovascular Unit, Hôpital Neurologique Pierre Wertheimer, Lyon, France

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

Experimental & Translational Stroke Medicine 2010, 2:4doi:10.1186/2040-7378-2-4

Published: 4 February 2010

Abstract

Permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion (pMCAO) by electrocoagulation is a commonly used model but with potential traumatic lesions. Early MRI monitoring may assess pMCAO for non-specific brain damage. The surgical steps of pMCAO were evaluated for traumatic cerebral injury in 22 Swiss mice using diffusion and T2-weighted MRI (7T) performed within 1 h and 24 h after surgery. Temporal muscle cauterization without MCA occlusion produced an early T2 hyperintensity mimicking an infarct. No lesion was visible after temporal muscle incision or craniotomy. Early MRI monitoring is useful to identify non-specific brain injury that could hamper neuroprotective drugs assessment.


© 1999-2010 BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated. Part of Springer Science+Business Media.