Intimal Injury Potentially Plays a Key Role in the Formation of Carotid Artery Dissection: A Novel Animal Model Establishing

Abstract

Research on the pathophysiological mechanism of carotid artery dissection and its clinical translation is limited due to the lack of effective animal models to simulate the occurrence of this condition. Assuming that intimal injury is an important factor in the formation of carotid dissection, we established a novel method for inducing carotid dissection models by scraping the carotid intima using a fine needle. Scraping the carotid intima with fine needles can induce the rapid formation of carotid dissection. Magnetic resonance imaging and hematoxylin-eosin staining suggest the presence of false lumens and mural hematomas in the vessels. Our model-induction technique, inspired by iatrogenic catheter-induced artery dissections (carotid, coronary, aortic), significantly mimics the pathological process of clinical carotid dissection. The results suggest that mechanical injury may be a significant cause of carotid dissection and that intimal injury is a major factor in the formation of arterial dissections. This approach will provide assistance in the understanding of medically induced arterial dissection.