Refined laparoscopic sampling of the hepatic portal vein in adult Mangalitza pigs

Hepatic portal vein (HPV) sampling in pigs is used in biomedical research for a variety of reasons including the study of nutrition, pharmacokinetics, metabolism and gut–liver interactions in health and disease. HPV sampling is most commonly achieved with an open laparotomy approach; however, this highly invasive approach increases the risk of surgical complications and animal welfare concerns. Laparoscopic approaches are described in miniature pigs but to our knowledge, there are no studies reporting laparoscopic sampling of the HPV in adult, full size pigs. Fatty pig breeds such as the Mangalitzas are of increasing interest in translational research due to their high visceral fat content and susceptibility to metabolic disease. In this study we describe the refinement of a minimally invasive HPV sampling method.

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