A Method for Accurately Orienting Microsurgical Blood Vessel Specimens for Longitudinal Sectioning

In a microsurgical study currently in progress, the need arose to prepare accurately oriented longitudinal sections of artery 1 mm in external diameter. The specimens were rats' common femoral arteries which had been subjected to division and microsuture anastomosis. We wanted to see the extent of any narrowing at the site of the microsurgical repair or histological changes on either side of the repair, and to relate such changes to possible causes of surgical trauma.