Differences in Postsurgical Recovery of CF1 Mice after Intraperitoneal Implantation of Radiotelemetry Devices through a Midline or Flank Surgical Approach

Minimizing the pain or discomfort of research animals through refinement of surgical techniques is inherent in the humane use of animals in investigative studies. The current approach for intraperitoneal implantation of radiotelemetry devices in mice is a ventral midline incision. An optional surgical approach is a flank incision. We used multidimensional analysis to compare midline and flank approaches for implantation of radiotelemetry devices in regard to time of surgery, activity, temperature, food intake, gel intake, body weight, and vitality scores. A third group was used to evaluate the effects of buprenorphine in healthy mice. The study demonstrated positive benefits related to the flank approach, including quicker surgery times, improved activity levels, more stable temperature homeostasis, smaller losses in body weight, and quicker return to presurgical baseline levels of food intake. In addition, direct effects of buprenorphine included decreases in food intake and body weight, with the effects on body weight lasting approximately 8 d after treatment. Collectively, these results suggest that implantation of intraperitoneal radiotelemetry devices by using a flank approach is beneficial to mice.