Effect of sympathectomy on microvascular anastomosis in the rat

An operative technique of lumbar sympathectomy in the rat is described. Two days following either sympathectomy or sham-sympathectomy, bilateral femoral arterial anastomoses were performed by a 1-year trained microsurgeon (S.A.H.) and patency was assessed by preoperative and postoperative (30 minutes, daily) operative invasive and noninvasive techniques using an electromagnetic flow meter (for immediate postoperative) and Doppler, respectively. Of 112 rats, three and one postoperative deaths occurred within 24 hours following abdominal surgery in each group, respectively. Of 105 anastomoses in the sympathectomy group, 103 (98%) and 101 (96%) had patent anastomoses 30 minutes and 14 days postoperatively, respectively, while 109 of the sham-sympathectomy group had 105 (96%) and 103 (94%) patencies at the same period of the observation, respectively. Thus the sympathectomy did not much alter the microvascular patency rate in the rat. It appears therefore that the meticulous microvascular anastomosis cannot be replaced by lumbar sympathectomy in the rat.