Development of an ovine model of occlusive arterial injury for the evaluation of endovascular interventions.

Endovascular intervention for occlusive arterial trauma is becoming more common in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to present an ovine model of extremity arterial injury for use in future endovascular translational research. Animals under general anesthesia had their left superficial femoral artery exposed, which was bluntly injured over a 2-cm section using a hemostat and injection of air. Occlusion was confirmed on angiography and the flow characteristics measured by ultrasonography. Of five animals enrolled, four occluding lesions were created successfully. Post injury, there was a significant reduction in the median (interquartile range) systolic velocity (cm/sec) on the left (injury) compared to the right (control) side (3.5 (0-16.5) vs. 29 (23.8-43.3); p < 0.001). The ovine superficial femoral artery can be used to consistently produce an occlusive lesion that is suitable for use in the future evaluation of endovascular trauma interventions.