A closed-chest pulmonary artery occlusion/reperfusion model in the pig: detection of experimental pulmonary embolism with MR angiography and perfusion MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To establish a pig model suitable for imitating pulmonary emboli to facilitate research in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.


METHODS
Thirteen animals were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and subjected to pulmonary artery catheterization initiated from the right external jugular vein. With the use of a Swan-Ganz catheter, repetitive occlusion/reperfusion maneuvers were done at different locations of the pulmonary arterial tree. Conventional pulmonary angiography, MR angiography, and perfusion MR imaging were performed.


RESULTS
The model remained hemodynamically stable throughout the 13 experiments, without any significant difference between the blood pressure measurements at the start and at the end of the right-heart and pulmonary artery catheterizations. In each of the nine animal experiments that investigated MR imaging, four of four using perfusion MR imaging (proximal and distal occlusions) and five of five using MR angiography (larger pulmonary artery occlusions), all repeated pulmonary artery occlusions were successfully performed (reproducibility of 100%).


CONCLUSIONS
The closed-chest pulmonary artery occlusion/reperfusion model in the pig allowed repetitive, controlled imitations of pulmonary emboli at different levels of the pulmonary artery in the same experiment. MR angiography and perfusion MR imaging were adequate to detect the pulmonary artery occlusions and the nonperfused lung regions, respectively. The model may be a helpful tool for future research in this field.
Amundsen
T
T
Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Trondheim, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. tore.amundsen@medisin.ntnu.no
Kvaerness
J
J
Aadahl
P
P
Waage
A
A
Bjermer
L
L
Odegård
A
A
Haraldseth
O
O
D000792:Angiography; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006439:Hemodynamics; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013552:Swine