Two-Dimensional X-Ray Angiography to Examine Fine Vascular Structure Using a Silicone Rubber Injection Compound

Summary

This study presents a simple two-dimensional angiographic method to examine fine vascular structures using a silicone rubber injection compound and soft tissue X-ray system.

Abstract

Angiography is an essential tool for the study of vascular structures in various research fields. The aim of this study is to introduce a simple angiographic method for examining the fine vascular structure of unfixed, fresh tissue using a silicone rubber injection compound and soft tissue X-ray system. This study is especially focused on flap territories used in reconstructive surgery. This study employs angiography with a silicone rubber injection compound in various experimental conditions using Sprague-Dawley rats. First, 15 mL of MV compound and 15 mL of diluent is mixed. Then, 1.5 mL of the curing agent is prepared, and a 24G catheter is cannulated in the common carotid artery of the rat. A three-way stopcock is then connected to a catheter, and the radiopaque agent, after being mixed with the prepared curing agent, is injected immediately without spillage. Finally, as the agent solidifies, the specimen is harvested, and an angiographic image is obtained using a soft tissue X-ray system. This method indicates that high-quality angiography showing fine vascular structures can be easily and simply obtained within in a short period of time.

Introduction

Examining vascular structures such as arteries and veins is an important area of interest, particularly in reconstructive surgery. In this field, flap surgery is widely performed. Therefore, angiographic imaging is actively used to study the flap territory, angiosome, and vascular supply of fresh tissue¹. Specifically, there have been continuous efforts to observe the fine vasculature, including fine vessels such as perforators (vessels emerging from deep vessels reaching the skin), and choke vessels (connecting vessels between adjacent angiosomes)². These two types of vessels are important in the perforator flap reconst....

Protocol

All procedures, including animal subjects, have been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees of Seoul National University Hospital (IACUC No. 10-0184). This protocol is optimized for research on flap vasculature. This example is based on a four-territory flap model in our previous reports.

1. Establishing a Flap Condition

NOTE: It is important to generate a vascular change in a rat flap model 4 to 5 days before visible estimation^6,7.

1. Use 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200 - 250 g.
2. Anesthetize the ra....

Results

Through following this protocol, the flap vascularity of the Sprague-Dawley rat was examined. A circumferential skin flap from the lower abdomen to the back that measured 4 x 12 cm was marked based on our previous reports. Each specimen was in a different vascular condition.

All the flaps were elevated based on the deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) and vein and then supercharged with arteries from various locations. Group 1 wa.......

Discussion

Silicone rubber injection compound angiography can be performed easily, does not require expensive equipment, and offers many advantages. In contrast to the preoperative and intraoperative evaluations of patients, experiments using animals and cadavers can provide details on specific conditions, enabling more diverse and in-depth studies. The flap model using rats is particularly valuable to clinicians because changes in various contexts can be observed before clinical applications^6,

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-112	White color agent
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-117	Orange color agent
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-120	Blue color agent
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-122	Yellow color agent
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-130	Red color agent
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-132	Clear agent
MICROFIL Silicone Rubber Injection Compounds	Flow Tech Inc.	MV-Diluent	Diluent
MICROFIL CP-101 For Cast Corrosion Preparations	Flow Tech Inc.	CP-101	Curing agent
SOFTEX X-ray film photographing inspection equipment	SOFTEX	CMB-2	Soft tissue x-ray system
Film	Fujifilm	Industrial X-ray Film (FR 12x16.5cm)
Automatic Development Machine	Fujifilm	FPM 2800
Rat			Sprague-Dawley rat weighing 200-250 g
Three-way stopcock
24-guage catheter
Image J	National Institutes of Health		https://imagej.nih.gov/ij/