Simplified technique for heterotopic vascularized cervical heart transplantation in mice

Technical problems have limited the widespread use of mouse vascularized heart transplantation as a medical research tool. In this report, we describe a simplified method for performing heterotopic cervical transplantation by the cuff technique. The right pulmonary artery of the donor heart is equipped with a 22-gauge cuff. The aortic arch is isolated and transected at the level of the brachiocephalic artery. After proximally ligating the inferior vena cava with 9-0 silk, the residual blood vessels and lungs are ligated proximally and then carefully transected. The carotid artery is then everted over the Teflon cuff. Using this modified procedure, the operation from harvesting the donor heart to skin closure of the recipient mouse can be completed within 35 min. This simplified method for mouse heart transplantation was shown to have a high success rate, and is practical for use in transplantation immunology research.