Introduction: Animal models have been developed for the study of the intimal hyperplasia, a common cause of venous graft stenosis.
Objective: To establish a venous graft animal model for the study of the morphologic adaptative response to the arterial circulation.
Material and methods: A venous graft was placed in the arterial circulation of the caudal extremity from Wistar rats. In order to develop the model, it was carried out a morphologic study of the caudal extremity blood vessels. Three possible sites were evaluated for the obtaining of the venous graft.
Results: Graft permeability and viability were observed only in one segment, between the muscular branches and the origin of the saphenous vein. The portion of vein that was obtained from one extremity, was placed in the arterial circulation of the opposite extremity.
Conclusions: A venous graft animal model was established, using a femoral vein segment, between the muscular branches and the origin of the saphenous vein, placing it in the homonyme artery of the opposite extremity.