New rabbit atherosclerosis model for the investigation of transluminal angioplasty.

In order to investigate the long-term and short-term effects of transluminal angioplasty, an animal model was developed that closely simulates human disease. Using the Flemish Giant rabbit, lesions were created by air-drying an isolated segment of femoral artery and feeding the rabbits a diet of 2% cholesterol, 6% peanut oil for one month. The lesions were studied with serial angiography for up to three months and with correlative histology. The results showed focal, stenotic lesions that appeared stable over time and had histologic similarity to human lesions. the artery adjacent to the lesions appeared normal. Since the femoral arteries in this rabbit strain are sufficiently large to undergo angioplasty, and it is possible to perform serial angiograms, it is believed that this model is suitable for use in the investigation of angioplasty, and the preliminary work confirms its feasibility.