Microvascular denudation of the femoral artery of the mouse as a model for restenosis

Objective: To present technique and results of a microvascular denudation of the common femoral artery of the mouse as a model for inducing intimal hyperplasia in interventional radiology. Materials and methods: Under general anesthesia introduced by intraperitoneal injection, 14 B6129F1 hybrid mice (7 females and 7 males) at a mean age of 12.1±1.8 weeks and a mean weight of 28±2.8 grams had a groin incision of the vascular bundle directly distal to the inguinal ligament in preparation of placing a vascular clamp. Thereafter, the femoral artery was dissected distal to the origin of the epigastric artery and a loop prepared for a ligation proximal to the planned arteriotomy. Through an arteriotomy performed free-hand with a pair of micro scissors, a 0.010'' (=0.25 mm) guidewire was introduced into the vessel and advanced to the aortic bifurcation. The guidewire was moved back and forth three times. The same procedure was performed on the other side as sham-operation, i.e., without introduction and passage of a guidewire. The resulting changes of the vessel wall were evaluated by histology and morphometry. Results: Four weeks after intervention, the mean intima-to-media-ratio (IMR) was 1.80±0.28. A significant difference was observed between the sexes, with an IMR of 1.41±0.29 in females and an IMR of 2.24±0.45 in males (p=0.0173). The neointima led to an overall luminal loss of 50.2%±8.3% without significant sex difference (p=0.09), but the average lumina loss was still more severe in females, amounting to 43.9% in comparison to 56.1% in males. This technique induces a significant neointima formation in a reproducible manner. The internal elastic membrane was preserved in all vessels. Conclusion: This technique is an excellent model to examine the differences between genetically modified mice to clarify the role of putative key molecules in the pathophysiology of restenosis. (orig.)