Surgical technique for long-term cecal cannulation in the Yucatan minipig (Sus scrofa domestica)

Measurements of standardized ileal digestibility yield more useful results than do those of fecal digestibility. To that end, cecal cannulation of the pig has been performed extensively in an attempt to model the digestive processes of humans. Here we introduce a technique for the placement of a permanent cecal cannula with a silicon port that is larger in diameter than those previously described in the literature. A large lumen offers several advantages, most notably ease in collection of larger samples and introduction of materials into the cecum. To date, this technique has been used successfully to cannulate 39 Yucatan minipigs at our institution. Long-term, there have been no major complications with the procedure or cannulas.