ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Mouse kidney transplantation is a challenging technique for novice microsurgeons. Factors that affect transplant outcomes for a clinical surgeon starting microsurgery have not yet been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 110 consecutive mouse kidney transplants were performed over a 9-month period. Data were recorded, and surgical results and complication were analyzed. RESULTS: Three and thirty day survival rates improved from 0 (0/6) to 92.3% (12/13) between months 1 and 9. Bleeding, arterial thrombosis, kidney failure and hydronephrosis were the most common causes of transplant failure. From month 1 to month 7, using the same surgical technique, practice significantly decreased the incidence of bleeding and increased the 3-day survival rate; however, it didn't significantly decrease the incidence of thrombosis, kidney failure, but improved the 30-day survival rate. From month 8, when surgical technique used on artery anastomosis switched from continuous suture to interrupted suture, surgical survival rate at 3 and 30 days improved significantly. Interestingly, ischemia time was not a significant factor determining the success of transplantation in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Practice is essential for novice microsurgeons, and the choice of surgical techniques significantly affects surgical results. The use of interrupted arterial sutures can significantly improve mouse kidney transplantation outcomes compared with continuous sutures. Ischemic time was not a factor in determining successful of kidney transplantation in mice in this study.