Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Studies on chronic pulmonary thromboembolism animal models close to the human physiology are rare at home and aboard.
OBJECTIVE: To establish a chronic pulmonary thromboembolism animal model by repeated injecting autologous blood clot.
METHODS: Rabbits were randomly assigned into embolism group and mock embolism group. Embolism rabbits were repeatedly injected with autologous blood clot through the arteries. Mock embolism rabbits were injected with saline instead.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: According to the anatomy of pulmonary artery and pathological examination, there was thrombus organization in the 4th week after autologous blood clots injection. CT angiography of pulmonary artery represented signs of local pulmonary artery truncation and some indirect signs, such as inflammation, infarction and pleural thickening. Pulmonary anatomy and pathological examination discovered pulmonary artery thrombus organization and chronic inflammation in the experimental rabbits. These findings demonstrate that chronic pulmonary thromboembolism rabbit model is successfully constructed by repeated injection of autologous blood clot.