A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content. Sign in or start your free trial.
Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity (PHHP) can be modeled in neonatal rats by combining chorioamnionitis and intraventricular hemorrhage. The combination of these prenatal and postnatal events accurately recapitulates the clinical hallmarks of PHHP, including macrocephaly, ventriculomegaly, and elevated intracranial pressure, through the lifespan.
Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity (PHHP) is a serious sequela of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in very preterm infants less than 32 weeks gestational age (GA). PHHP is defined by the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) associated with clinical symptoms of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Infants with PHHP suffer lifelong shunt dependence, with half requiring repeat surgery in the first year of life and many requiring multiple additional surgeries throughout the lifespan. Prenatal chorioamnionitis predisposes preterm infants to severe IVH and the need for surgical treatment of PHHP trends with neonatal sepsis. These clinical features suggest that systemic inflammation is an integral component of PHHP pathophysiology.
Here, we define an animal model that recapitulates all clinical aspects and essential features of PHHP in rats. The goal of this protocol is to illustrate how in utero chorioamnionitis and postnatal IVH using lysed red blood cells can be combined to yield PHHP. This preclinical approach yields progressive macrocephaly and domed craniums, elevated intracranial pressure, and ventriculomegaly that can be detected via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or via microscopy. In addition to sustained disruption in CSF dynamics, rats also have cognitive delay and functional disability into adulthood. Accordingly, this preclinical platform facilitates unique and unparalleled translational studies of PHHP that can incorporate molecular, cellular, biochemical, histologic, imaging, and functional outcome measures. It can also be used for rigorous analysis of the choroid plexus, ependymal motile cilia, and glymphatic system in parallel. Last, it can also be an invaluable preclinical tool for the investigation of novel surgical intervention strategies and non-surgical therapeutic approaches for the treatment of hydrocephalus.
Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity (PHHP) remains a substantial public health concern. Defined by symptomatic accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concomitant with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) secondary to intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), PHHP is a severe manifestation of encephalopathy of prematurity and a significant contributor to the global burden of prematurity and acquired hydrocephalus1,2. Globally, approximately 400,000 infants each year are born with or acquire the lifelong burden of hydrocephalus3 and many die due to lack of treatment3. PHHP is common in developed countries in very preterm infants (<32 weeks' gestation) with severe IVH, and often affects the sickest of infants who are already suffering from other life-threatening co-morbidities4,5.
The only available treatment for hydrocephalus is surgery6. Surgical procedures yield better longevity when infants are older than 6 months at the time of the first permanent intervention, whether for a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), or ETV with choroid plexus coagulation (ETV-CPC)7. The most common option, VP shunts, often fail within a year and predispose children to a lifetime of complications, repeat surgeries, and hospitalizations at a tremendous cost to the child, the family, and society.8 In particular, the anxiety from a shunt potentially failing at any time is burdensome to families9. Care for children with symptomatic hydrocephalus, including frequent surgeries, is a leading cause of pediatric healthcare expenditures10,11,12,13,14. The annual estimated cost for shunt-related expenditures in children was $2 billion in 200315. While children with shunts comprise only 0.6% of hospital admissions, they generate 3.1% of pediatric hospital charges15. Thus, the discovery of safe, non-surgical therapies for the treatment of PHHP is paramount.
In infants, PHHP develops after IVH over a clinical time course that lasts weeks to months after the initial identification of the brain bleed. A study conducted by the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) confirmed that VP shunts remain the best surgical option for neonates with PHHP16. Even for children with PHHP in high-income countries with access to skilled pediatric neurosurgical care, outcomes are far from optimal, with >50% of shunts placed in infants with PHHP requiring surgical revision within the first 2 years8. Despite the clear need to identify safer, more effective treatments for PHHP, research has faced obstacles. Progress has been hampered in part because the preclinical literature on PHHP often fails to appropriately distinguish ventriculomegaly caused by hydrocephalus ex vacuo17,18Β fromΒ symptomatic hydrocephalus with macrocephaly19,20. Indeed, developmental models of hydrocephalus should include progressive macrocephaly and/or measurements of elevated ICP1.
Merging clinical and preclinical insights has improved study design and propelled our understanding of PHHP2. Studies conducted in diverse centers throughout the globe have shown that IVH is most common in very preterm neonates secondary to chorioamnionitis21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28. In addition to placental infection and inflammation, neonatal sepsis is an additional important risk factor and can play a central role in the progression from IVH to ventriculomegaly to symptomatic PHHP and subsequent surgical intervention29. Preclinical and clinical data support that blood-borne inflammation can cause hydrocephalus20, and systemic inflammation increases secretion of CSF by the choroid plexus30. Further, adults with subarachnoid hemorrhage and IVH who also suffer from sepsis are much more likely to require a shunt31. More recent literature has confirmed that inflammation reduces ependymal motile cilia propulsion of CSF19,20,32 and CSF reabsorption by the glymphatic system33,34,35,36. Overall, systemic inflammation is a key pathophysiological and clinical driver in PHHP1.
Considering these findings, we created an age-appropriate preclinical model of PHHP. This model combines IVH in the immediate and early postnatal period with chorioamnionitis, the principal cause of preterm birth19. This experimental approach begins in utero, with the placental insufficiency, placental inflammation, and intraamniotic inflammation that defines chorioamnionitis7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,
23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,
43,44,45. Specifically, we recapitulate a fetal inflammatory response syndrome, placental neutrophilia, and proinflammatory CNS microenvironment in the preterm period via abdominal laparotomy in pregnant rat dams on embryonic day 18 (E18)37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45. Intrauterine injury is induced by temporary bilateral uterine artery occlusion leading to transient systemic hypoxia-ischemia (TSHI) followed by intraamniotic injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45. Subsequently, to perturb CSF dynamics and catalyze the development of hydrocephalus in the live-born pups, IVH is induced on postnatal day 1. This is accomplished with bilateral intracerebroventricular injection (ICV) of littermate lysed red blood cells (RBCs) into the lateral ventricles19,37,44. Pups are then studied as hydrocephalus develops and throughout their lifespan.
The Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) at Johns Hopkins University approved all experimental procedures described herein. This protocol utilizes pregnant Sprague-Dawley rat dams and pups of both sexes.
1. Induction of chorioamnionitis on E18
NOTE: The in utero insult portion of this protocol has been previously published in detail, is summarized above, and is the subject of a separate JOVE protocol and video19,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,46. Briefly, pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats undergo abdominal laparotomy on embryonic day 18 (E18) to induce chorioamnionitis, which includes TSHI and intraamniotic LPS administration.
2. Preparation of lysed red blood cells on P1
3. Intracerebroventricular injections of lysed red blood cells on P1
4. Confirmation of successful bilateral intraventricular hemorrhage on P2
5. Confirmation of successful posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus
Using this model, hydrocephalus develops in the days and weeks after injection of lysed red blood cells. A representation of a typical experimental design and progression of hydrocephalus is provided in Figure 1. We evaluated 5-6 sham animals and 6-8 PHHP animals per group. As juveniles, rats with PHHP exhibited macrocephaly (Figure 2), elevated intracranial pressure (Figure 3), and ventriculomegaly (Figure 4
This protocol for the induction of PHHP allows for rigorous, quantifiable, and clinically translatable outcome measures of brain structure and function concomitant with phenotypic hallmarks of hydrocephalus, including chronic elevation of ICP, ventriculomegaly, and macrocephaly, from birth to adulthood4. Biochemical, histological, and functional assays can be used to evaluate the health of the choroid plexus, ependyma, and glymphatic system, as well as gray and white matter19
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The authors are grateful for the funding provided by the National Institutes of Health (R01HL139492), the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (W81XWH1810166, W81XWH1810167, W81XWH2210461, and W81XWH2210462), the Hydrocephalus Association, and the Rudi Schulte Research Institute.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
70% ethanolΒ | PharmcoΒ | 111000200 | Diluted to 70%Β |
Betadine surgical scrub | Cardinal Health | NDC-67618-151-17 | |
Blunt Forceps | Roboz | RS-8100 | |
Bravmini Plus Cordless Rechargeable TrimmerΒ | WahlΒ | 41590-0438 | |
Carbon Steel Surgical bladesΒ | Bard-Parker | 371151-11 | |
centrifugeΒ | Eppendorf | 5424R | |
Cotton Gauze Sponge | Fisherbrand | 22-362-178 | Small, 6 inch sterile |
Cotton-tipped Applicators | Fisherbrand | 23-400-114 | 30 G 1 |
Eye Lubricant | Refresh Lacri Lube | 75929 | |
Far infrared warming pad | Kent scientific | RT-0501Β | |
Incubator -Β Genie Temp-Shaker 100Β | Scientific Industries | SI-G100 | |
Insulin Syringes | BD | 328438 | 0.3 cc 3 mm 31 G, ultrafineΒ |
Isoflurane | CovetrusΒ | 11695067772Β | |
Ketamine hydrochloride injection | DechraΒ | 17033-101-10 | |
Kimwipes | Kimtech Science | BXTNI141300 | |
LPS 011B4 | Sigma | L2630 | |
microcentrifuge tubes | Thermo Fisher Scientific | 3453 | 2.0 mL |
Needle | BD | 305122 | 1 mL |
Needle | BD | 305128 | 25 G 5/8 |
Needle Holders | Kent Scientific Corp. | INS14109 | 12.5 CM STR |
OR Towels | Cardinal Health | 287000-008 | |
Paper measuring tape | Cardinal Health | SKU Β | |
Saline Solution, 0.9% | Sigma | S8776 | |
Scissors | Roboz | RS-6808 | |
SomnoSuite | Kent Scientific | SS6823BΒ | |
Sterile Alcohol Prep Pads | Fisherbrand | 06-669-62 | Sterile |
Surgical gloves | Biogel | 40870 | |
Surgical Scissors | Roboz | RS-5880 | |
Surgical Scissors | EST | 14002-16 | |
Syringe | BD | 309628 | |
T/Pump (Heat Therapy Pump) | Stryker MedicalΒ | TP700 | |
Vessel Clips | Kent Scientific Corp. | INS14120 | 30 G Pressure |
Xylazine injectionΒ | vet oneΒ | NDC 13985-704-10 |
Request permission to reuse the text or figures of this JoVE article
Request PermissionExplore More Articles
This article has been published
Video Coming Soon
Copyright Β© 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved