COMPARISON OF TRIPHENYLTETRAZOLIUM DYE WITH LIGHT-MICROSCOPIC EVALUATION IN A RABBIT MODEL OF ACUTE CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIA

The present study was performed to compare brain infarct size assessme nt by routine histology (haematoxylin and eosin) and by 2,3,5-tripheny ltetrazolium chloride staining techniques. New Zealand white rabbits w ere subjected to autologous clot embolization to the anterior circulat ion of the brain. After a study period of 7-8 h the brains were harves ted and serially sectioned in the coronal plane. Brain slices were the n immersed in a 1% triphenyltetrazolium chloride dye. Following visual ization oi the infarcted region, the brains were immediately placed in 10% formalin and later prepared for histologic evaluation by routine haematoxylin and eosin. The two methods were compared for their abilit y to estimate infarct size by an independent observer. There was excel lent correlation between the two methodologies; infarct sizes of 57.4 +/- 5.0% versus 55.9 +/- 5.4% (mean +/- SEM, p < 0.007, r = 0.73, n = 12; expressed as percentage of the hemisphere infarcted) were noted fo r light microscopic evaluation versus triphenyltetrazolium chloride st aining, respectively. It is concluded that triphenyltetrazolium chlori de staining is an acceptable method for delineating brain infarct size in this rabbit model of thromboembolic stroke. The relative ease of i nfarct size determination with this technique suggests its more widesp read use in similar models.