Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Grading in Animal Models - Animal Models of Acute Neurological Injuries: Injury and Mechanistic Assessments - page 306

2. Materials
and Instruments

Adult Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used in the examples below.

Many methods for brain removal exist. Below are the tools needed
to remove the brain according to the methods described in Chap.
3 , Sect. 3, of Animal Models of Acute Neurological Injuries,
Humana 2008 ( 2 ).
1. Guillotine
2. Scalpel handle (F.S.T. 10003-12) and scalpel blades (F.S.T.
10015-00)
3. Forceps (Adson, F.S.T. 11027-12)
4. Curved Kelly hemostat (F.S.T. 13019-14)
5. Spring scissors (F.S.T. 15005-08)
6. Friedman rongeur (F.S.T. 16000-14)

2.1. Brain Extraction
Instruments

2.2. Photography
and Processing Tools

1. High-Resolution Digital Camera
2. Any Imaging Software that allows you to view high-resolution
digital photos

3. Procedures

3.1. Brain Extraction
and Photography

Details are provided in Chap. 3 , Sect. 3, of Animal Models of Acute
Neurological Injuries, Humana 2008 ( 2 ).

1. Briefl y, animals are placed under deep anesthesia and the whole
brain is removed from the calvaria, taking care to keep the
arachnoid membrane intact.
2. High-resolution photos of the base of the brain depicting the
circle of Willis and basilar arteries are taken (Figs. 1 - 3 ).

Grading should be done by a blinded observer.

3.2. Grading SAH
Severity

1. We identifi ed and used the arteries within the basal cistern for
this grading system: basilar artery (BA) and the circle of Willis
composed of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), the internal
carotid artery (ICA), the proximal posterior cerebral artery
(pPCA) from ICA to posterior communicating artery (PcomA),
and the PcomA. Middle cerebral artery (MCA), distal poste-
rior cerebral artery (dPCA), and the superior cerebellar artery
(SCA) were not included in the grading system. Only the arter-
ies of the basal cisterns were included in the grading system to
maintain reproducibility and consistency (Fig. 1 ).