Microvascular basal lamina damage in thromboembolic stroke in a rat model

We investigated microvascular damage in areas with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-defined apparent diffusion coefficient reduction (ADC-R) in a rat model of thromboembolic occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Rats received either intracarotid recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) or saline. Microvascular basal lamina damage was quantified by immunohistochemical staining of collagen type IV and by videoimaging analysis. ADC-R positive basal ganglia (cortical) areas showed a significant reduction of stained microvascular area by 15±6% (8±7%) and the microvascular density by 13±5% (8±6%) of that on the non-ischemic control side ( P