The Small Animal Surgery Core is led by Dr. Seonghun Yoon, PhD, and is financially supported by the CVRI and affiliate groups. Dr. Yoon has over 25 years of experience in small animal microsurgery in various animal species including mice, rats, and rabbits. He specializes in studying cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Other general procedures are also frequently performed, such as tail vein injections, kidney capsule implantation, and jugular vein catheterization and buttoning.
If your research may benefit from Dr. Yoon’s expertise, please have your PI reach out to Drs. Filip Swirski and Christopher Chan for more information.
Surgeon: Seonghun Yoon, PhD in Pharmacology
Hess CSM, 7th Floor Room 313
seonghun.yoon@mssm.edu
Open Chest Models
- Myocardial Infarction (MI) Model by LAD Ligation (Mice and Rats)
Operative suture placement of a permanent occlusion around the left anterior descending artery of the left ventricle. Open chest is on the left 4th intercostal area.
Ligation sites and resulting infarct sizes:
1 mm below the auricle: ~35–45% infarction
2.5 mm below the auricle: ~25–35% infarction
4 mm below the auricle: ~15–25% infarction
- Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) Model (Mice and Rats)
Operative placement of a suture with an occluder around the left anterior descending artery for 30-60 minutes of occlusion followed by reperfusion for usually 24 hours.
Strain-specific occlusion durations:
30 minutes: Black C57 mice
45 minutes: White FVB mice
60 minutes: White CFW and Brown mice
Infarct area: 30–45% (inside belt-shaped)
- Transverse Aortic Constriction (TAC) Model (Mice and Rats)
Pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy and/or heart failure model by operative suture placement of constriction on the transverse aorta between the innominate artery and left common carotid artery with a needle. Open chest is on the left 2nd intercostal area. The left ventricular hypertrophy with normal systolic function in a timeframe of 1-4 weeks. Open chest is on the left 2nd intercostal area.
Needle sizes:
27G: Mild (60~80 mmHg pressure gradient)
28G: Severe (100~120 mmHg pressure gradient)
- Pulmonary Artery Banding (PAB) Model (Mice and Rats)
Operative suture placement of constriction on the pulmonary trunk with 25 G needle. RV dilation, dysfunction, and tricuspid regurgitation will typically progress over a 1-6 weeks period. Open chest is on the left 2nd intercostal area.
- Intra-Myocardial Injection (IMCI) into the Left Ventricle Wall (Mice and Rats)
Open chest is on the left 4th intercostal area. The smaller volume caused smaller damage in the LV wall. Recommend 1~5 ul injection each at 3 sites
- Intra-Myocardial Injection (IMCI) into the Right Ventricle Wall (Mice and Rats)
Open chest is on the left 4th intercostal area. Recommend single 1 ul injection.
- Injection into Transverse Aortic Wall (Mice and Rats)
Open chest is on the left 2nd intercostal area. Recommend single 0.2 ul injection.
Neurological Procedures
Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO) (Mice)
A Stroke model. Operative silicon-tipped mono-filament placement of occlusion into the internal carotid artery for 30 or 45 minutes from the external carotid artery followed by reperfusion for usually 24 hours.
Other Procedures
Hindlimb Ischemia (Mice)
Operative suture placement of a permanent occlusion around a femoral artery.
Jugular Vein Catheterization and Button (JVCB) (Mice)
Operative jugular vein catheterization and a button installation on the back for drug infusion or blood collection.
Organoid Transplantation (Mice and Rats)
Operative transplantation of organoids under the kidney capsule.
5/6th Nephrectomy (Mice and Rats)
Operative removal of one full kidney and 2/3 of the another one on both poles
Tail Vein Injection (Mice and Rats)
Tail Vein Blood Collection (Mice)