Technical report: Simple method of animal stroke model of luminal occlusion of middle cerebral artery in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Although there are many experimental studies describing the suture method of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats, this is still a new procedure in Indonesia and the techniques for applying this stroke model in animal research are not well known. There has been a perception in Indonesian scientific community that the technique would be difficult and require advanced equipment. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that it is possible to perform the technique with minimal resources using simple method and basic surgical loupe equipment. METHODS: A total of 30 male Wistar rats, aged 6 months, weighing 250 g–400 g Wistar rats, were obtained from the Bandung Biofarma Pasteur. Preliminary trials were performed to gain an understanding of the detailed anatomy of the animals and to master the techniques. An ×8 loupe magnification was used for all surgical steps in this study except taking of surgical operation photos. The procedures applied simple methods, using two loop temporary knots instead of any animal vascular clips. RESULTS: After an extensive training period, two of the 30 rats died within 4 weeks after the procedure. The effects of MCAO were confirmed clinically and by hematoxylin-eosin staining pathology slides. CONCLUSION: With simple methods, this MCAO procedure could be implemented in developing countries such as Indonesia without the requirement for advanced equipment.