Surgical preparation of rats and mice for intravital microscopic imaging of abdominal organs.

•Surgical approach depends on organ of interest and how it’s presented on the stage.•Maintenance of homeostatic physiologic state is critical for reproducible data.•Proper aseptic surgical technique is paramount with survival procedures.•Peri- and post-operative animal management designed to optimize serial imaging outcomes.•Long term longitudinal studies may require the implementation of imaging windows.