Experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage: double cisterna magna injection rat model--assessment of delayed pathological effects of cerebral vasospasm.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage comprises of an early phase after the bleeding and a late phase of delayed consequences of the bleeding. The development of delayed injury mechanisms, like the reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) due to cerebral vasospasm (CVS), seems mainly to depend on the amount and the duration of the subarachnoid blood clot. The reduction of CBF may lead to cerebral ischemia and delayed neurological deterioration. The rat double cisterna magna injection model reproduces the time course of the delayed consequences of CVS and imitates the clinical setting more precise than other rodent subarachnoid hemorrhage models. Therefore, the rat double cisterna magna injection model seems to be predisposed to be used to mimick the delayed consequences of subarachnoid hemorrhage. We reviewed the existing literature on this animal model and propose a standard protocol including technical considerations, as well as advantages and limitations of this model.