ABSTRACT
A new experimental model for free transfer of the rat tail has been developed. The
vascular and nerve anatomy of the tail was studied in ten Wistar rats. The caudal
artery (average diameter: 0.8 mm) provides the principal arterial supply to the tail.
The main venous drainage is from bilateral dorsolateral subcutaneous veins (average
diameter: 1.2 mm). The inferior caudal trunk establishes the cutaneous nerve branches
to the skin of the tail. Free transfer of the tail to the carotid artery and external
jugular vein, with the attachment of the tail to the dorsum, allows for clinical monitoring
of the transfer, without risk of au-tophagia. This transfer is easy to perform, simple
to monitor, and provides consistent yet challenging microsurgery for the beginning
microvascular surgeon. In addition to its utility as a training model, it may also
have an application as an easy research model for composite tissue transfer.
