Technika angiografii tętnic wieńcowych szczura

Background: Experimental cardiology investigations carried out on rat hearts involve problems with the anatomy and physiology of the coronary arteries. Coronarography is an imaging method of the coronary arteries which can be performed intravitaly as well as postmortem. The aim of the study was to present our own radiological method of postmortem imaging of the rat's coronary arteries. Material/Method: The investigation was done on anatomical preparations of the hearts of rats of the Sprague-Dawley® and Wistar® strains. In total, 69 arteriograms were obtained. The coronary arteries were filled with contrast medium consisting of 60% barium sulfate and a 10% solution of gelatin in a proportion of 3:2. Images of contrasted arteries were presented on X-ray film and, in some groups of rats, by a digital image converter. X-rays were performed using an apparatus we designed ourselves. This enabled image fixing of the arteries during full rotation of the heart about its axis. Results: The described method of contrasting and image presentation of the rat's coronary arteries was able to show consecutively the shape and topography of the arteries in a precise, spatial way in repeatable experiments. The authors demonstrated the existence of anatomical and topographic differences in the images of the investigated arteries in the rat compared with the human heart. They pointed out the presence of arterioarterial anastomoses. Conclusions: The authors suggest further research to gain a better understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the coronary circulation of the rat.