title: The effect of venous flow alterations upon patency of rat femoral vein anastomoses.
abstract: The rat femoral vein has become a standard model for laboratory training in microvascular anastomotic technique as well as for research investigations into factors affecting venous patency. This study examined the short-term patency (1 and 7 days) of rat vein anastomoses. The influences upon patency of epigastric flap creation and distal femoral vessel ligation (epigastric flow only) were explored. In a separate experiment, blood flow from the femoral vein was determined through catheter collection of venous efflux; the influences of island epigastric flap creation and distal femoral ligation on flow rates were explored. It was found that 82% of basic femoral vein anastomoses were patent at one day, while 100% of anastomoses associated with an epigastric flap and ligated/transected distal femoral vessel circulation (creating a low-tension anastomosis) were patent (P less than 0.01). With distal femoral vessel ligation and no transection (normal tension at the repair), anastomoses were patent in 90% of the veins when an epigastric flap was also raised, and in 60% when a flap was not created. When a flap was raised without disturbing the distal femoral circulation, vein patency was 75% at one day. When the vein anastomosis was performed with distal femoral vein ligation, the patency rate was 50%. All veins patent at 1 day were also patent at 7 days post-op; 96% of veins clotted at 1 day were found to be patent at 7 days. The venous efflux was not found to vary significantly when an epigastric flap was raised.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Cooley
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gould
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery; D005267:Femoral Nerve / Q000601:surgery; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006119:Groin / Q000098:blood supply; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000379:methods / Q000473:pathology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014654:Vascular Patency