title: Refined techniques for intestinal transplantation in rat.
abstract: Intestinal transplantation (IT), unlike other solid-organ transplantations, such as liver, kidney, and heart, has relatively disappointing results in humans. Significant advances have been made during the past 40 years, but rejection, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and infection remain the major obstacles to successful IT. These aspects may be studied using a rat model of IT. Without a microscope and traditional suture for vascular reconstruction, we simplified the procedure using a "three cuffs" technique for orthotopic intestinal transplantation (OIT). Technical modifications of our OIT model that induced good results included (1) adopting a "double cuffs" technique on the graft aorta, (2) using a portal cuff anastomosis to reconstitute the natural and physiologic portal graft drainage with the cuff fixed to the recipient first, and (3) administering a large volume of crystalloid or whole blood to maintain blood pressure and reduce ischemic injury to the graft during operation. In our group, the survival rate of recipients was 87.5% (21 of 24 rats), the average volume of bleeding in the recipient operation was less than 1 mL, and the cold ischemic time, 50 +/- 11 minutes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, College of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. zeus7704@hotmail.com
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D007422:Intestines / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D017538:Mesenteric Artery, Superior / Q000601:surgery; D008642:Mesenteric Veins / Q000601:surgery; D023421:Models, Animal; D011184:Postoperative Period; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic / Q000379:methods*