Contrast-enhanced Ultrasonography and Color Doppler Ultrasonography for Dynamic Assessment of Intracranial Changes in Early MCAO Rats Models

ZHOU Chen-yun, ZHU Xiao-xia, XU Zi-lin, ZHOU Yu-qing, YAN Feng, LUO Yan, LI Jin

Abstract

To assess the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and color Doppler ultrasound (DUS) on hemodynamic changes and cerebral perfusion quantitative analyses in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with focal permanent ischemic stroke.  Methods  Sixteen SD rats with thin skulls were subjected to establish middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. CEUS images were performed before modeling (T0), immediately after modeling (5-15 min after modeling, T1), 3 h after modeling (T2), followed by the measurement of bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA), posterior cerebral artery (PCA) using DUS. The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and mean velocity (MV) of these arteries were obtained. The brain time-intensity curve was taken as interest region of the whole right brain, and the quantitative parameters of CEUS were obtained, including peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC), wash in slope (WIS), time to peak (TTP), rise time (RT) and time from peak to one half (TPH). The modified neurological deficit score (mNSS) of the rats was performed 3 h after the modeling, and the data of the rats with a score of 9-11 were statistically analyzed.  Results   A total of 12 rats were successfully modeled and completed with mNSS score 9-11. No blood flow signals were observed on the right MCA and ACA in the 12 rats at T1 and T2. From T0 to T1, PI, AUC and WIS of the right hemisphere decreased sharply with TTP and RT significantly prolonged, and the differences were statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in hemodynamic parameters at that period of time. From T1 to T2, there were no significant changes in CEUS quantitative parameters (except AUC and TPH), while PSV, EDV, MV of LMCA and bilateral PCA showed significant acceleration, and the differences were statistically significant.  Conclusion  CEUS and DUS can reveal the intracranial hemodynamics and brain tissue perfusion trends of MCAO rats, which could be new methods in assessment of ischemic stroke model at multiple time points.

 

Keywords: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound, Color Doppler ultrasound, SD rat, Stroke model, Hemodynamics, Brain perfusion imaging

 

Full Text:

PDF


References


RAFII M S， HILLIS A E. Compendium of cerebrovascular diseases. Int Rev Psychiatry，2006，18(5): 395–407.

JIN H， ZHU S， WEI J W， et al. Factors associated with prehospital delays in the presentation of acute stroke in urban China. Stroke，2012， 43(2): 362–370.

HERSON P S， TRAYSTMAN R J. Animal models of stroke: translational potential at present and in 2050. Future Neurol，2014，9(5): 541–551.

ZHANG L， ZHANG R L， JIANG Q， et al. Focal embolic cerebral ischemia in the rat. Nat Protoc，2015，10(4): 539–547.

RIDOLFI F， ABBATTISTA T， BUSILACCHI P， et al. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound evaluation of hepatic microvascular changes in liver diseases. World J Gastroenterol，2012，18(37): 5225–5230.

QUAIA E， NOCENTINI A， TORELLI L. Assessment of a new mathematical model for the computation of numerical parameters related to renal cortical blood flow and fractional blood volume by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Ultrasound Med Biol，2009，35(4): 616–627.

PORTER T R， XIE F. Myocardial perfusion imaging with contrast ultrasound. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging，2010，3(2): 176–187.

WEBER M A， KRIX M， JAPPE U， et al. Pathologic skeletal muscle perfusion in patients with myositis: detection with quantitative contrast-enhanced US—initial results. Radiology，2006，238(2): 640–649.

CHRISTIANSEN J P， LEONG-POI H， AMISS L R， et al. Skin perfusion assessed by contrast ultrasound predicts tissue survival in a free flap model. Ultrasound Med Biol，2002，28(3): 315–320.

KLAUSER A， DEMHARTER J， DE MARCHI A， et al. Contrast enhanced gray-scale sonography in assessment of joint vascularity in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the IACUS study group. Eur Radiol， 2005，15(12): 2404–2410.

CHEN L， ZHAN W W， SHEN Z J， et al. Blood perfusion of the contralateral testis evaluated with contrast-enhanced ultrasound in rabbits with unilateral testicular torsion. Asian J Androl，2009，11(2): 253–260.

KASPAR M， PARTOVI S， ASCHWANDEN M， et al. Assessment of microcirculation by contrast-enhanced ultrasound: a new approach in vascular medicine. Swiss Med Wkly， 2015，145:w14047[2019-09-08]. https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2015.14047.

HWANG M， SRIDHARAN A， DARGE K， et al. Novel quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound detection of hypoxic ischemic injury in neonates and infants: pilot study 1. J Ultrasound Med，2019，38(8): 2025–2038.

ERRICO C， PIERRE J， PEZET S， et al. Ultrafast ultrasound localization microscopy for deep super-resolution vascular imaging. Nature，2015， 527(7579): 499–502.

URBAN A， MACE E， BRUNNER C， et al. Chronic assessment of cerebral hemodynamics during rat forepaw electrical stimulation using functional ultrasound imaging. Neuroimage，2014，101: 138–149.

LOURBOPOULOS A， KARACOSTAS D， ARTEMIS N， et al. Effectiveness of a new modified intraluminal suture for temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats of various weight. J Neurosci Methods， 2008，173(2): 225–234.

WANG C， LI F， GUAN Y， et al. Bone marrow stromal cells combined with oxiracetam influences the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 in rats with ischemic stroke. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis，2014，23(10): 2591–2597.

LAPERGUE B， DEROIDE N， POCARD M， et al. Transcranial duplex sonography for monitoring circle of Willis artery occlusion in a rat embolic stroke model. J Neurosci Methods，2011，197(2): 289–296.

FEDERLEIN J， POSTERT T， MEVES S， et al. Ultrasonic evaluation of pathological brain perfusion in acute stroke using second harmonic imaging. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry，2000，69(5): 616–622.

SEIDEL G， ALBERS T， MEYER K， et al. Perfusion harmonic imaging in acute middle cerebral artery infarction. Ultrasound Med Biol，2003，29(9): 1245–1251.

KIM J H， SHIN T， CHUNG J D， et al. Temporal pattern of blood volume change in cerebral infarction: evaluation with dynamic contrast-enhanced T2*-weighted MR imaging. AJR Am J Roentgenol，1998， 170(3): 765–770.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.