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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

A Novel Murine Model of Arteriovenous Fistula Failure: The Surgical Procedure in Detail
Published on: February 3, 2016
Carotid-Jugular Fistula Model to Study Systemic Effects and Fistula-Related Microcirculatory Changes
Souleiman Ghanem1, Bence Tanczos1, Adam Deak1
1Department of Operative Techniques and Surgical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
Background:
Arteriovenous fistulae impair the distal circulation, but their effects at the microcirculatory level are not well understood. This study presents the carotid-jugular fistula (CJF) as a model to evaluate fistula-related microcirculatory and systemic changes.
Materials And Methods:
Female Wistar rats were anesthetized and divided into a fistula group (FG, n = 10) and a sham group (SG, n = 6). End-to-end anastomosis was performed between the right carotid artery and the jugular vein in the FG. The hemodynamic status was followed for 6 weeks. On the sixth postoperative week, liver and kidney microcirculation was measured using laser Doppler; then microcirculatory changes were assessed after occlusion of the carotid artery. At the end of the experiment, histological samples were taken and the weights of the organs were measured.
Results:
The heart rate and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly due to the CJF. Laser Doppler showed a reduction in liver blood flow units (BFU) in the FG in comparison with the SG (p = 0.01), and they increased (p < 0.01) after occlusion of the fistula. Kidney BFU showed slight changes only. The comparative morphological study revealed significant increases in heart weight (p < 0.001) and left ventricular hypertrophy (p = 0.008) in the FG.
Conclusion:
Beside hemodynamic and morphologic changes, a CJF causes a deterioration in the microcirculation of the liver rather than of the kidney, but occlusion of the CJF immediately reverses these changes.
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