Objective: To study the tongue tissue blood oxygen saturation measurement for evaluating tongue manifestation of blood stasis syndrome, and to explore its correlation with blood rheological disorder in a rat model of acute transient brain ischemia.
Methods: Twenty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group and ischemia group. Middle cerebral artery occlusion was induced by thread in rats of the ischemia group. Tongue tissue blood oxygen saturation, neurological severity score and the changes of blood viscosity, red blood cell deformity, thrombin time and fibrinogen in the rats were measured after 24-hour reperfusion.
Results: Blood viscosity and the content of fibrinogen in the ischemia group were significantly higher than those in the sham-operated group. Red blood cell deformity, thrombin time and tongue tissue blood oxygen saturation in the ischemia group were decreased as compared with the sham-operated group. There was a positive correlation between red blood cell deformity and tongue tissue blood oxygen saturation.
Conclusion: Tongue tissue blood oxygen saturation is a good measurement for evaluating blood stasis in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia, and this model can be used as a rat model of stroke with blood stasis syndrome.