Isolating Short Posterior Ciliary Arteries: A Protocol to Excise Intact Short Posterior Ciliary Microvessels from Porcine Eye

The eyeball receives its blood supply primarily from the ophthalmic artery. As the ophthalmic artery passes along the optic nerve, it branches out, forming multiple short posterior ciliary arteries, or SPCAs.

At the posterior side of the eye globe, the SPCA bifurcates into two types of branches. The paraoptic branches enter the sclera - the outermost eye cover - close to the optic nerve. In contrast, distal SPCAs pierce the sclera a short distance from the optic nerve.

To isolate SPCAs, take a freshly dissected porcine eye with the optic nerve and extraocular tissue remnants attached to it. Submerge the eyeball in a dissection chamber containing a suitable physiological buffer.

Dissect the surrounding muscle layers to visualize the arteries around the eye globe. Make a complete circumferential incision on the eye globe to separate the eye into the anterior and posterior halves. Remove the vitreous layer from the eye's posterior half.

Visualize the posterior half of the eye to locate the optic nerve and the adjacent retrobulbar vasculature - the blood vessels behind the eyeball. Locate the paraoptic and distal branches of the short posterior ciliary arteries.

Excise these arterial segments and wash them with the desired buffer to remove contaminants and residual blood. Store SPCAs for further downstream analysis.