Computed tomography-based survey of the vascular anatomy of the juvenile Göttingen minipig

Abstract

Over the past 50 years, image-guided procedures have been established for a wide range of applications. The development and clinical translation of new treatment regimens necessitate the availability of suitable animal models. The juvenile Göttingen minipig presents a favourable profile as a model for human infants. However, no information can be found regarding the vascular system of juvenile minipigs in the literature. Such information is imperative for planning the accessibility of target structures by catheterization. We present here a complete mapping of the arterial system of the juvenile minipig based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Four female animals weighing 6.13 ± 0.72 kg were used for the analyses. Imaging was performed under anaesthesia, and the measurement of the vascular structures was performed independently by four investigators. Our dataset forms a basis for future interventional studies in juvenile minipigs, and enables planning and refinement of future experiments according to the 3R (replacement, reduction and refinement) principles of animal research.

The Neonatal and Juvenile Pig in Pediatric Drug Discovery and Development

“…However, the growth of the porcine heart and cardiovascular system from birth to 4 months of age is analogous to the growth of the same system in humans into the mid-teen [29]. Also, a characterization of the juvenile minipig has been performed, which highlighted some differences, for example in the gastroepiploic artery, between species [260].…”

“…Continuous efforts are being made to better characterize the (juvenile) pig in the fields of ophthalmology [251,252], neurodevelopment [28], immunology [28], and drug absorption, metabolism and toxicity [35,43,45,[253][254][255][256], although there is still evidence supporting the need for more background information in pigs [253]. Moreover, differences in between breeds exist [257] and, since fully characterizing all the pig breeds available is a long-term task, most efforts concentrate in studying the most used pig breed in pharmacological studies in Europe, the Göttingen Minipig [35,[43][44][45][258][259][260][261][262][263][264][265][266][267][268][269][270][271][272][273][274]. Inter-breed differences are magnified due to the lack of standardization regarding food and feeding patterns, age and sex of pigs used in research [275].…”

Estudo de anatomia comparada suína por angiotomografia: contribuições para modelos de pesquisa e treinamento em cirurgia vascular e endovascular

“…Pig and sheep models constitute important options for research in vascular surgery. [2][3][4] These animals can be used by researchers to assess the efficacy and safety of cardiovascular procedures in systems with similar anatomy to humans and can also be used in training. 1 Pigs have been used as surgical models for a long time, in particular because they are reasonably priced and have similar cardiovascular anatomy and physiology to human beings.…”

“…1 Pigs have been used as surgical models for a long time, in particular because they are reasonably priced and have similar cardiovascular anatomy and physiology to human beings. 1,[3][4][5][6][7][8] Porcine cardiovascular anatomy and physiology are the most studied, as illustrated by studies on the distribution of coronary arteries, ventricular function, cardiac metabolism, electrophysiology, and development of collateral circulation after acute myocardial infarction. 1 Recent publication of the genome and the possibility of genetically modifying pigs have increased even further the importance of porcine models in medical research.…”

Hepatocyte Transplantation to the Liver via the Splenic Artery in a Juvenile Large Animal Model

“…The juvenile Göttingen minipig is a suitable preclinical model for the human infant because of the similarities in human and porcine physiology [24][25][26] , as well as a vascular system that allows for transfemoral catheterization 27 . At 11 weeks old a Göttingen minipig weights 4-5 kg, which is approximately the weight of the human infant 28 .…”