An endovascular primate model for the production of a middle cerebral artery ischemic infarction.

An endovascular model for producing and studying middle cerebral artery acute ischemic strokes was developed to avoid the need for an open surgical approach to the middle cerebral, anterior cerebral, posterior cerebral and internal carotid arteries. Endovascular occlusion of these vessels followed by Xenon-CT cerebral blood flow study confirmed the production of a middle cerebral artery distribution infarct in two primates. The methodology, advantages and drawbacks of this model are discussed.