Reintroduction of the Rat for Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage with Accelerated Clot Formation: A Low Mortality Model with Persistent Clots as a Precondition for Studies in Vasospasm

摘要

Background Cerebral vasospasm as a delayed, possibly treatable sequel of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a focus of experimental animal research. For this purpose, the rat is not a good model because of the difficulty creating a stable subarachnoid clot that persists1 to 2 days and could induce vasospasm. Only in rat models with a high mortality of approximate to 50% or more can SAH and its effects be investigated. Therefore, other animals than rodents are used for investigating the delayed effects of SAH. Only animal studies addressing the acute effects of SAH use rats.