Laparoscopic vagotomy using mini-instruments in the rat: a new laparoscopic small animal model.

Purpose: Animal models are necessary for research, technical developments, and training purposes in laparoscopic surgery. Although various operations on small animals have been described, there is still a need for a simple and practical laparoscopic small animal model. We acknowledged truncal vagotomy as a simple procedure, and aimed to develop a model of laparoscopic truncal vagotomy (LTV) in the rat, an inexpensive and easily available animal.