Minimally Invasive Transaortic Constriction in Mice

Minimally invasive TAC was performed on male C57BL/6 mice (n = 25; 13 mice in the TAC and 12 mice in the TAC+COP group) at 8 to 10 weeks of age, as described.¹² Using anesthesia of 1.5% to 2.0% isoflurane, a 0.5-cm horizontal incision was made at the level of the suprasternal notch. The chest was opened 2 to 3 cm in the proximal portion of the sternum. The thymus was deflected to expose the aortic arch. The transverse aorta was constricted between the innominate and left common carotid arteries using a 7-0 prolene suture ligature tied against a 25-gauge blunted needle (Figures E1 and E2). The latter was quickly removed to yield a constriction of 0.4 mm in diameter, which was measured using a VisualSonics Vevo 3100 High-resolution Imaging System.¹³ (link) Sham control mice (n = 24; 12 mice in the control group and 12 mice in the TAC group) underwent all surgical procedures without aortic constriction.