Experimental stereotactic gamma knife radiosurgery. Vascular contractility studies of the rat middle cerebral artery after chronic survival.

In vitro isometric small vessel myograph experiments and pathological investigations were performed on rat middle cerebral arteries. Thirty-four animals provided 68 normal vessels, six further rats had the endothelial layer mechanically removed from their 12 arteries. Eighteen animals received gamma knife irradiation to the middle cerebral arteries.