Skills to Perform Vessel Eversion in Mouse Cervical Cardiac Transplantation with Cuff Technique

INTRODUCTION: The mouse heterotopic cardiac transplant model has been extensively used to explore transplant immunity. Although the cuff technique facilitates the operation, the procedure remains difficult, and vessel eversion is the most difficult step. Cuff movement and everted vessel wall slippage are the main adverse factors in vessel eversion. Traditional strategies to prevent these factors focus on cuff fixation, while more steps or surgical instruments would be required. METHODS: According to the reported protocols and our experience, the vessel eversion skills were modified and used for transplantation. Cardiac grafts from C57BL/6(H-2(b)) or BALB/c(H-2(d)) mice were transplanted into C57BL/6(H-2(b)) mice. The operating times of recent 90 operations, which were divided into 9 groups according to their sequence, were summarized and analyzed. RESULTS: The mouse cervical cardiac transplantation was successfully performed by using the modified vessel eversion skills. The cuff movement, which is the most important adverse factor to prevent vessel eversion, was effectively prevented. In the recent 90 operations, the total operating time was 47.3±7.9 min and the success rate was 98%. CONCLUSIONS: The modified surgical skills simplify the vessel eversion in mouse cervical cardiac transplantation with cuff technique, characterized by less cuff movement, fewer steps, and surgical instruments. Using these surgical skills, the transplant can be performed in a short time.