Jugular Vein Graft Harvest From a Rabbit Model: A Surgical Procedure to Excise a Segment of Rabbit Jugular Vein for Ex Vivo Studies

After local anesthetic and prophylactic antibiotic and analgesia administration, disinfect the surgical site with 10% povidone-iodine and make a 50 to 60-millimeter incision with a surgical scalpel, in the cervical region of the anesthetized male Japanese white rabbit. Bluntly dissect the subcutaneous tissues and fascia to expose a 20 to 30-millimeter segment of the jugular vein, and use 4-0 silk sutures to ligate all of the branches of the exposed vein.

Place a 2-0 silk suture around the internal and external jugular veins, and make a 1-millimeter incision in the venous wall of the distal side of the vein. Insert a 2-French balloon catheter from the cut toward the proximal side of the vein, and ligate the 2-0 silk suture at the distal sides of the jugular veins.

Inflate the balloon with 200 microliters of air, and use the balloon to denude the intima of the vein three times for endothelial exfoliation. After the third passage, ligate the proximal end of the vein, and cut the vein at the distal site. Then, insert a 20-gauge intravenous catheter into the harvested vein from the distal to the proximal direction, and cut the vein at the proximal site.