Establishment and CT Imaging of Rabbits Abdominal Aorta Atherosclerosis Model Based on High-fat Diet and Balloon Strain Technique

Background and Objectives: Atherosclerosis is the most common type of arteriosclerotic vascular disease. It is characterized by accumulation of lipids, hemorrhage and thrombosis, and gradual degeneration and calcification of the middle layer of the artery. It is very harmful to human body. To diagnose atherosclerosis at an early stage, a new animal model of abdominal aorta in New Zealand rabbits was established using high-fat diet with balloon injury to simulate the natural process of human disease. Methods: In our study, the high-fat diet and balloon strain technique were used to establish this model, CT imaging and pathological examination were used to prove the successful establishment of the model. Results: The results demonstrated that two weeks after high-fat feeding, the rabbits’ survival rate was 100% and their body weights gradually increased over time. Compared with basic levels, all atherosclerotic indexes (AI) were higher than 4. Pathological observation and CT imaging showed that the location of vascular injuries was stenosis and the lesions were consistent with the basic characteristics of atherosclerosis. Conclusions: The above results indicated that under our experimental conditions, the rabbits’ model of abdominal aorta atherosclerosis (AS) could be successfully reproduced. Compared with previous atherosclerosis models, it has the characteristics of a short modeling time and method simplicity. More importantly, it can be used as a follow-up model of atherosclerosis early diagnosis.