Dear Editor
I would like to suggest that JAALAS, its authors, and reviewers, be somewhat more accurate in using anatomical nomenclature. The recent article by Fernandez and colleagues1 on clinical chemistry parameters in mice includes the words submandibular vein and retroorbital plexus in its title, implying that the common laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) has a submandibular vein and a retroorbital venous plexus. While there is no denying that in recent years the term submandibular vein has crept into common usage as a likely consequence of the lay and laboratory animal literature using those words to describe a blood collection site,1,2,5 the correct term is the facial vein (v. facialis) or linguofacial vein (v. linguofacialis), depending on the exact site of blood collection. It is also possible to obtain blood from the nearby maxillary vein (v. maxillaris). Using Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria3 as a guide, there is no submandibular vein in the mouse.
Likewise, the term retroorbital plexus is incorrect, with retroorbital sinus being the proper term for the mouse. In fairness to the authors, the proof of this claim is not easy to find in the laboratory animal literature and, in fact, one commonly used atlas of laboratory mouse anatomy illustrates a retroorbital venous plexus.6 In 1949 Kuga4 suggested the presence of an ophthalmic venous sinus in mice, which was then confirmed by Yamashita in 1979.8 In 1980 Yamashita and colleagues9 provided a detailed description of the spatial relationships of the mouse orbital venous sinus that was based on serial sections of the orbit. In the same year Timm7 published a description of the mouse orbital venous sinus based on latex injections and corrosion casts of the venous structures of the head.
Although most of us will understand what authors are referring to when using terms such as the submandibular vein or retroorbital plexus, proper terminology allows us to communicate in a professional and unambiguous manner.
Sincerely,
Jerald Silverman, DVM
Professor and Director, Department of Animal Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
References
- 1.Fernandez I, Pena A, Del Teso N, Perez V, Rodriguez-Cuesta J. 2010. Clinical biochemistry parameters in C57BL/6J mice after blood collection from the submandibular vein and retroorbital plexus. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 49:202–206 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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