Measurement of the Luminal Diameter of Peripheral Arterial Vasculature in YorkshirexLandrace Swine by Using Ultrasonography and Angiography

To select animals of appropriate size for preclinical studies of cardiovascular devices, reference knowledge of the cardiovascular anatomy relative to body weight is crucial. We measured the luminal diameters of the arteries (carotid, femoral, and iliac arteries) that are the common access vessels for endovascular and vascular procedures in YorkshirexLandrace swine. Measurements were performed by using both ultrasound and angiographic methods and were correlated with body weight. Results showed no statistically significant difference between the left and right vessels in the diameters of the carotid, femoral, and iliac arteries. The diameters of the measured arteries showed high correlation with animal weight in pigs that weighed less than 70 kg.