This article describes a surgical technique for cannulating the duodenum in an anesthetized rat model. The procedure allows for intra-intestinal infusion of substances, facilitating immunopathology studies.
Begin with an anesthetized rat in a supine position.
Shave the abdominal region and dissect the rat laterally, involving the skin and muscular layer to access the abdominal organs.
Visualize the duodenum — a C-shaped tube connecting the stomach to the small intestine's middle part — the jejunum.
Pull the duodenum downward to expose the stomach and locate the pylorus — the stomach-duodenum junction.
Identify the proximal region below the pylorus and create a small puncture in the duodenum.
Take a J-shaped cannula — a thin tube with a beveled tip for smoother insertion, and avoid dislocation.
Insert the cannula through the duodenal puncture to access the intra-intestinal cavity and secure its entry point on the duodenum.
Post-cannulation, suture the muscular layer incision, ensuring the cannula's open end remains outside the rat's body, and finally, apply surgical glue to close the skin incision.
The intraduodenal cannulated rat model is ready for intra-intestinal infusion of substances for immunopathology studies.
To cannulate the duodenum, first, locate the tissue as the bright pink section of the small intestine, which upon gentle downward pulling reveals the stomach. Then, use a sterile 23-gauge needle to make a small puncture hole in the duodenum at the pylorus, approximately 2 centimeters below the junction of the stomach and duodenum. Next, insert the J-shaped hook end of the duodenal cannula through the puncture and secure the cannula in place with a drop of cyanoacrylate glue. Then, use sutures to close the abdominal muscle wall incision.