A Novel Microsurgical Model of Cervical Lymph Node-to-Vein Anastomosis (LNVA) for Studying Brain Lymphatic Outflow

This study is the first to establish a rat model of cervical deep lymph node-venous anastomosis (LNVA), offering a novel microsurgical platform with dual value. On one hand, it serves as a technically demanding and reproducible model for advanced training in plastic and lymphatic surgery. On the other, it provides a structurally precise, gain-of-function approach for targeted intervention of the deep cervical lymph nodes-an anatomic hub increasingly implicated in brain lymphatic clearance and neurodegeneration. As such, this model may contribute meaningfully to future mechanistic studies on glymphatic function and its modulation.