An osteomyocutaneous transplantation model on the rat

To replace the complex and time-consuming procedure of limb transplantation, we developed a new osteomyocutaneous model that excluded the function but retained all the tissue components of the limb. Ten vascularized grafts from five donor hindlimbs were contralaterally transplanted to 10 syngeneic recipients' inguinal region. The graft of this model is composed of complete tibia and fibula and partial muscle and skin of the crus. The operative time was 145.3 +/- 9.1 minutes with the harvesting time of 49.7 +/- 5.8 minutes and the warm ischemia time of 65.4 +/- 6.0 minutes. The transplantation procedure of this model takes significantly less time and is less stressful to the animals than the previous whole limb transplantation model. This model is suitable for the studies of limb or composite tissue transplantation if functional recovery is not the main concern.