Selective angiography of the vertebral artery in the rabbit: technical note.

Background: Selective angiography of the vertebral arteries has not been performed in rabbit models. We used a tracker-10 microcatheter for selective vertebral artery angiography.

Methods: Five Japanese male rabbits weighing 2.0 to 2.5 kg were used. The right femoral artery was identified and an 18-gauge Teflon catheter was introduced into the iliac artery. A Tracker-10 microcatheter was introduced through the 18-gauge Teflon catheter into the right vertebral artery under fluoroscopic guidance.

Results: Selective angiograms of the right vertebral artery were obtained using a bolus injection of 0.1 mL of iopamidol in all five rabbits.

Conclusions: Selective vertebral artery angiograms could be obtained via the transfemoral route with the use of Tracker-10, and intraarterial selective administration of vasodilators will be achieved using our technique.