Renal Transplantation in the Rat: Details of a Technique1

Renal transplantation in the rat is certain to serve as an important experimental model for reviewing principles of transplantation immunology in whole organ grafting. Thus it is likely that many laboratories will attempt to develop this experimental model. However, the available techniques have been described only in the broadest terms and arc inadequate as a guide to its development. For this reason a detailed description of renal transplantation in the rat, using end-to-end anastomosis of the renal vessels and a bladder-to-bladder anastomosis of the urinary tract, with simultaneous bilateral nephrectomy, is described. This technique has produced a high success rate, and is based on an experience of 226 rat renal transplants.