Establishing an animal model of intracerebral hemorrhage under the guidance of ultrasound

Abstract

We established an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) model by puncturing the middle cerebral artery (MCA) under ultrasonic guidance and used the same model to evaluate the efficiency of ICH detection with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). MCAs of 12 adult dogs were punctured to bleed under ultrasonic guidance. CEUS of the brain was performed every 30 min until a hematoma formed. A subsequent CEUS was performed after 24 h, after which brain samples were collected for pathologic examination. Eleven of the 12 dogs successfully developed ICH as confirmed by CEUS and pathologic examination. The hematoma diameters as determined through CEUS and pathologic examination were 22.4 mm (SD = 7.1) and 21.6 mm (SD = 6.9), respectively. No significant difference was found between the measurements by the two methods (p > 0.05). The CEUS results indicated characteristics of active bleeding and hematoma. Hence, a dog ICH model was established by puncturing the MCA under ultrasonic guidance, and imaging characteristics were in good accordance with those of patients.

Keywords: Animal model; Contrast microbubble; Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Intracerebral hemorrhage.