MICROSURGERY IN A RAT LUNG-TRANSPLANT MODEL - ANALYSIS OF BENEFIT

With the use of microsurgery, we have developed a method of measuring hemodynamic parameters in a rat not possible with previous technology. Three groups of rats were studied: a chemically induced pulmonary hyp ertensive group (PH); a chemically induced pulmonary hypertensive grou p treated with single lung transplantation (LT); and an untreated, con trol group (C), Cardiac output, heart rate, and pulmonary vascular res istance were then calculated in each group from data obtained by 1 mm high fidelity micromanometers and an ultra-sonic flow probe, The resul ts show that the data col-lected from the rodent model are reproducibl e within each group, and data quality is comparable to large animal mo dels, With this new method, data can be collected in a small animal mo del at a fraction of the time and cost of large animal studies. Additi onally, the complications of graft rejection in large animal studies a re eliminated in an isogenic rodent model. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.