Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats as an experimental model of malignant hypertension. A pathological study.

A light-microscopic study of various organs of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (SHRSP) rats was performed. The rats characteristically developed fibrinoid necrosis of the wall and marked cellular thickening of the intima and media of the arterioles and small arteries of the kidney, testicle, mesentery, adrenal gland, brain, etc. Parenchymal damage of the organs, secondary to the vascular alterations took place. There were no accumulations of lipids in the vascular lesions. Though stroke has been stressed as a characteristic clinical feature of the SHRSP rats, the cerebral lesions are different from those seen in ordinary cerebrovascular disease. Furthermore, many organs are involved. The overall vascular changes in the brain and other organs are consistent with those seen in malignant hypertension; the SHRSP rat is an excellent model of this disease.