Objective  To establish an animal model of supravalvular aortic stenosis in rabbits without endotracheal intubation.   Methods  New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to the aortic banding group (n=12) and the sham-operation group (n=8). The former group underwent aortic banding with 3-0 Prolene contiguous to the aortic valve without endotracheal intubation. The sham-operation group received the same procedures but without actual ligation of the aorta. To investigate the effects of the surgical procedure on physiological parameters

echocardiography

histology and electron microscopy were carried out to assess the function and structure of hypertrophy at various time intervals.   Results  Banding of the ascending aorta caused the expected increase in aortic velocity. The pressure overload resulted in a robust left ventricular hypertrophic (LVH) assessed by transthoracic echocardiography

microscopic histology

and electron microscopy. At week 8 after ascending aorta banding

the LV mass index was increased significantly 2.30±0.11 mg/g at week 8 vs 1.02±0.05 mg/g at baseline and 0.98±0.01 mg/g in sham-operation group

P0.01). While fractional shortening (FS) was progressively declined after 4 weeks

and the decrease was 9.3% at week 24 compared to the baseline (P0.01).   Conclusion  These results demonstrate a simple

effective

and reproducible method of producing supravalvular aortic stenosis in rabbits without the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation.