The microvascular technique of vein grafting in rats as a training and experimental model.

Techniques for obtaining and implanting vein grafts in the femoral arteries of rats are described. Grafts 5 mm in length can be removed from the femoral vein without ligating any side branches; a 15-mm segment is the maximum graft that can be obtained from the femoral vein in a rat. This requires ligation and division of all the branches between the inguinal ligament and the great saphenous vein. The superficial epigastric vein also can be used as a source of grafts to be used in the femoral artery. In this study, neither the femoral nor the superficial epigastric vein appeared to have functioning valves. Therefore, reversing the vein graft before implantation was not necessary.