A case study of ligation induced calcification in middle cerebral artery in rat

A 90 min ligation of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) followed by 72-hour r eperfusion appeared to cause calcium deposition in vascular myocytes of the tunica media and the perivascular tissue of the Sprague Dawley rat. The pr esence of small ovoid to large irregularly shaped intracellular opaque depo sits were demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. Using X-ray elemen tal analysis the chemical nature of the deposits was found to be calcium ph osphate. The functional significance of this first demonstration of acute c alcification following transient ligation of the rodent MCA invites further studies.