Intraarterial doxorubicin infusion treatment with and without occlusion of the renal artery in rabbit renal VX-2 carcinoma. Establishing an animal model.

The aim of this investigation was to establish an animal model for studying fractionated intraarterial treatment of a rabbit kidney VX-2 carcinoma. As repeated catheterizations and drug infusions may cause vascular lesions, we wanted to find whether the rabbit renal artery could be catheterized several times within a short period of time with acceptable iatrogenic vascular trauma. Each of 3 groups of rabbits with implanted renal VX-2 carcinoma were treated 3 times with either 1) temporary renal artery occlusion combined with infusion (occlusion infusion) of a) physiologic saline (OIS) or b) doxorubicin (OID), or 2) with renal artery infusion of doxorubicin. OID was administered in 20 of 21 attempts, OIS in 21 of 24, and infusion of doxorubicin in 20 of 21 attempts. Renal arterial spasm was seen in 5 of 22 rabbits, rarely at the first catheterization, more frequently during the second and third. Permanent iatrogenic vascular trauma occurred in 4 of 15 rabbits after the second and third occlusion infusion. We conclude that the rabbit kidney with implanted VX-2 carcinoma may be a useful model for testing fractionation schemes for multiple intraarterial infusions of antineoplastic drugs.