Rat pinealectomy: a modified direct visual approach

• Autor(a) principal: Maganhin,Carla Cristina
• Data de Publicação: 2009
• Outros Autores: Simões,Ricardo Santos, Fuchs,Luiz Fernando Portugal, Oliveira-Filho,Ricardo Martins, Simões,Manuel de Jesus, Evêncio Neto,Joaquim, Baracat,Edmund Chada, Soares Júnior,José Maria
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Acta Cirúrgica Brasileira (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-86502009000400013
• topic: Pineal Gland; Melatonin; Genitalia, Female; Surgery; Rats

PURPOSE: To report a new, direct visual approach for rat pinealectomy. METHODS: Eighty adult female rats (Rattus norvegicus albinus EPM-1 strain) were weighted and anesthetized intraperitoneally with 15 mg/kg xylazine and 30 mg/kg ketamine. The animal was fastened to a dissection table, an incision was made in the skin and the subcutaneous tissue, bringing the lambda into view. The skullcap was opened with a dental drill, bringing the cerebral hemispheres and the superior sagittal sinus into view. The pineal gland, located under the venous sinus, was removed in a single piece using tweezers. Next, the bone fragment was returned to its place and the surgical layers were sutured. RESULTS: This new technique is easy to be done, avoids bleedings and removes only the pineal gland without damage to the remaining encephalon. In addition it makes possible the achievement of a sham surgery, allowing the pineal gland to remain intact. CONCLUSION: The proposed technique intends to facilitate studies aiming to better understanding the complexity and importance of the pineal gland on reproductive and other body systems.