Microvenous anastomosis: The rat tail model alternative

Abstract

Background: The rat femoral vein and dorsal penile vein have been have been well described as microvenous models. We report the use of the rat tail lateral vein as model for microvenous anastomosis training. Methods: Careful anatomic dissections were made of the rat tail noting the basic gross anatomy in 3 rats. 20 albino rats were anaesthesized via intraperitoneal ketamine injection, lateral vein of the tail is then transected about 5 cm distal to the tail base. Immediate repair was carried out by standard interrupted microanastomosis suture technique with 10/0 nylon suture. Patency was assessed at 30 minutes and 1 week. Results: 40 consecutive anastomosis of the lateral tail vein was done in 20 rats . The mean diameter of the rat tail lateral vein in the study rats was 0.8mm SD± 0.02mm.The mean anastomosis time was 22.6 minutes SD±4.3 minutes from clamp application to removal. There was a 90% patency rate at 30 minutes and 81 % at 1 week. Conclusion: The rat lateral tail vein appears to be a viable alternate model for microvenous anastomosis. The study identifies the ease of access, duality, potentially long length and the absence of accompanying artery as some of the unique features of this microvenous anastomosis practice model.