Measurement of peripheral arterial vasculature in domestic Yorkshire swine by using quantitative vascular angiography.

Anatomic knowledge of the cardiovascular system, including arterial diameters and arterial segment lengths, is important for appropriate selection of animal size. Here we correlate the diameter and segment lengths of the femoroiliac artery of Yorkshire swine with animal weight. Angiographic images were acquired by using fluoroscopic equipment, and quantitative vascular analysis software was used to measure the internal iliac, external iliac, external femoral, internal femoral, and circumflex femoral arteries. Results indicated that swine weight appeared to have a positive but moderate statistical correlation with arterial diameter, with the exception of the correlation between femoroiliac arterial segment length and swine weight, which was low and sometimes negative. Morphometric data and correlation between animal weight and anatomic dimensional assessments can benefit preclinical researchers and the medical device industry, assisting them to determine their specific animal needs and allowing study design to be performed with a more realistic and educated approach.