The Longa (ECA) middle cerebral artery occlusion method exacerbates the ischemic lesion and edema formation in the acute phase and tissue loss in the chronic phase. Ischemic lesion volume (a), normalized ipsilateral (b) and contralateral (d) hemisphere volume, and tissue loss (c) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by filament insertion through the common carotid artery (CCA), the external carotid artery (ECA), and in sham-operated (CCA sham and ECA sham) animals, measured before (baseline - BL) and on day 2 (D2), 9 (D9), and 35 (D35) after MCAO. Representative magnetic resonance T2 images of the mouse brain at baseline and after CCA or ECA MCAO at the measured time points (e). Statistical differences for the normalized ipsilateral and contralateral hemisphere volume and tissue loss using the mixed model ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test, and for the ischemic lesion volume mixed model ANOVA and Sidak post hoc test: CCA to ECA group (***) P < 0.001; CCA to CCA sham group: (###) P < 0.001; ECA to ECA sham group (†††) P < 0.001, (†) P < 0.05. Data presented as median with interquartile range.