PURPOSE: To develop a clinically relevant porcine model of liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension by means of hepatic transarterial embolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional animal care and use committee approval was obtained for all experiments. Pigs received transcatheter arterial infusion of a 3:1 mixture of iodized oil and ethanol into the hepatic artery in volumes of 16 mL in group 1 (n = 4), 28 mL in group 2 (n = 4), and 40 mL in group 3 (n = 4) with intent of bilobar distribution. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement, liver function tests, and volumetry were performed at baseline, at 2 weeks, and before necropsy. RESULTS: Cirrhosis was successfully induced in three animals that received 16 mL of the embolic mixture and in all four animals that received 28 mL. The animals in the 40-mL group did not recover from the procedure and were euthanized within 48 h. Increases in HVPG after 6-8 weeks versus baseline reached statistical significance (P < .05). Correlation between degree of fibrosis and volume of embolic agent did not reach statistical significance, but there was a trend toward increased fibrosis in the 28-mL group compared with the 16-mL group. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization can be used to create a reliable and reproducible porcine model of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
PURPOSE: To develop a clinically relevant porcine model of liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension by means of hepatic transarterial embolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional animal care and use committee approval was obtained for all experiments. Pigs received transcatheter arterial infusion of a 3:1 mixture of iodized oil and ethanol into the hepatic artery in volumes of 16 mL in group 1 (n = 4), 28 mL in group 2 (n = 4), and 40 mL in group 3 (n = 4) with intent of bilobar distribution. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement, liver function tests, and volumetry were performed at baseline, at 2 weeks, and before necropsy. RESULTS:Cirrhosis was successfully induced in three animals that received 16 mL of the embolic mixture and in all four animals that received 28 mL. The animals in the 40-mL group did not recover from the procedure and were euthanized within 48 h. Increases in HVPG after 6-8 weeks versus baseline reached statistical significance (P < .05). Correlation between degree of fibrosis and volume of embolic agent did not reach statistical significance, but there was a trend toward increased fibrosis in the 28-mL group compared with the 16-mL group. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization can be used to create a reliable and reproducible porcine model of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
Authors: Kyle M Schachtschneider; Regina M Schwind; Kwame A Darfour-Oduro; Arun K De; Lauretta A Rund; Kuldeep Singh; Daniel R Principe; Grace Guzman; Charles E Ray; Howard Ozer; Ron C Gaba; Lawrence B Schook Journal: Oncotarget Date: 2017-06-29