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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 28, 2025

Step By Step: Microsurgical training method combining two nonliving animal models

Step By Step: Microsurgical training method combining two nonliving animal models

Published on: May 9, 2015

Supermicrosurgical Anastomosis Training Using Chick Embryos within the Egg-in-Cube System.

Ryo Karakawa¹, Hidehiko Yoshimatsu¹, Kengo Nakatsuka¹

¹From the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

|May 31, 2023

Summary

This study presents a novel chicken embryo supermicrosurgical anastomosis training system. This cost-effective and ethical model simulates lymphatic vessels, aiding surgical skill development.

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Last Updated: Jul 28, 2025

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Area of Science:

Surgical Education
Biomedical Engineering
Developmental Biology

Background:

Supermicrosurgery, crucial for lymphatic and perforator-flap surgery, lacks an ideal training model.
Current living animal models are expensive and raise ethical concerns.
A need exists for a cost-effective, reproducible, and ethically sound training system.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and evaluate a novel supermicrosurgical anastomosis training system using chicken embryos.
To provide a cost-effective and ethically acceptable alternative to traditional animal models.
To assess the suitability of the chicken embryo model for supermicrosurgical skill acquisition.

Main Methods:

A novel "egg-in-cube" system was created using artificial eggshells with polycarbonate frames and polydimethylsiloxane membranes.
Fertilized chicken embryos were cultured within this system.
Trainees performed supermicrosurgical anastomosis on the vitelline artery (average diameter 0.43 mm) of 7-day-old chick embryos.

Main Results:

The system successfully supported supermicrosurgical training in 11 surviving chicken embryos.
Vessel patency and pulsation post-anastomosis were observed in 4 out of 11 cases.
The vitelline artery diameter closely mimics that of human lymphatic vessels.

Conclusions:

The chicken embryo within the egg-in-cube system is an ethically acceptable, cost-effective, and manageable supermicrosurgical training model.
Its anatomical similarity to human lymphatic vessels makes it suitable for practicing lymphovenular anastomosis.
The model provides real-time feedback on anastomosis patency and leakage due to its integrated circulation.