J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2002 Dec;43(12):2570-2576.

Experimental Model of Bilateral Carotid Artery Occlusion: a Serial Study of the Optic Nerve in the Rat

• Park MH
• Moon JI
• Choi YB

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was performed to examine the serial alteration of the optic nerve in chronic ischemia-induced brain injury of albino rat, which might be an experimental model of ischemia-induced optic nerve disease and vasogenic glaucoma in human.
METHODS
We ligated bilateral common carotid arteries so that the brain and optic nerve had permanent ischemic injuries. Serial alteration of the optic nerve was studied on postoperative 1 day, 3 day, 5 day, 1 week, 2 week, 4 week and 9 week. After fixing the brain by perfusing formaline through the left ventiricle, we dissected the brain and optic nerve and then made specimen for Hematoxilin-Eosin (HE) stain to observe the histopathology of the optic nerve. Kluiver-Barrera (KB) stain was performed to qualify the myelin injury and optic nerve injury status.
RESULTS
The HE stain specimen showed increased spaces in the nerve fiber layer and increased number of vacuoles three days after the operation. The optic neve injury became augmented with time. The KB stain showed better-defined configuration of HE stain.
CONCLUSIONS
We were able to notice that optic nerve injury was induced by the bilateral common carotid ligation in this chronic ischemic experimental model, which might be an help to the studies of ischemic optic nerve disease, neurodefensive mechanism, and the hemodynamic mechanism of glaucoma in human.

Keyword

Bilateral common carotid ligation; Chronic ischemia; Glaucoma; Optic nerve

MeSH Terms

Animals
Brain
Brain Injuries
Carotid Arteries*
Carotid Artery, Common
Formaldehyde
Glaucoma
Hemodynamics
Humans
Ligation
Models, Theoretical*
Myelin Sheath
Nerve Fibers
Optic Nerve Diseases
Optic Nerve Injuries
Optic Nerve*
Rats*
Vacuoles
Formaldehyde