Failure in developing a model for complete vascular thrombosis in the common iliac artery in the rat

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for complete arterial thro mbosis proximal to the rat cremaster flap for subsequent fibrinolytic studi es at the microcirculatory level. We divided 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats in to four experimental groups of five animals each. We assigned each group to an established thrombosis model using crush and standard microsurgical ana stomosis, crush and intimal abrasion, inverted arterial suture, and intrava scular silk sutures combined with microsurgical anastomosis at the common i liac artery. Vessel patency was examined using the milking test 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the thrombogenic insults. The model of perpendicular sil k sutures and anastomosis caused complete arterial thrombosis in one animal over 120 min. The other models failed in all animals. In conclusion, the t hrombogenic models used in this study are not capable of creating a reliabl e complete arterial thrombosis in the common iliac artery of the rat. (C) 1 999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.