Archives of Hellenic Medicine

Last update:

01-Oct-2015

Arch Hellen Med, 32(5), September-October 2015, 636-644

SPECIAL ARTICLE

Novel protocol for creation and study of abdominal aortic aneurysm
with porcine pancreatic elastase infusion in rats

D. Moris,¹ C. Bakoyiannis,¹ E. Dousi,² P. Tsakiropoulos,² N. Tsakiropoulos,² C. Tsigris,¹ D. Perrea,² S. Georgopoulos¹
¹First Department of Surgery, "Laiko" General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens,
²Division of Experimental Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) constitutes a serious threat for human life, especially the case where it is asymptomatic until rupture of the aneurysm, which is a common cause of death in subjects with AAA. There are no specific laboratory markers for distinguishing in a simple way between aneurysm bearers and the healthy population. Many biomarkers related to AAA outcome are not disease specific, due to their established correlation with atherosclerosis. Research is required to establish the underlying relations between these biomarkers and their role in AAA pathophysiology. With this experimental protocol, using the rabbit model, we aim to offer a conceptual description of potential biomarkers that will correlate with and predict the natural history of an AAA.

Key words: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), Animal models, Biomarkers, Porcine pancreatic elastase.