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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Sampling Strategies and Processing of Biobank Tissue Samples from Porcine Biomedical Models
Published on: March 6, 2018
Proportional analysis of the pig renal parenchyma and sinus structures
Marco A Pereira-Sampaio1, Robert W Henry, Luciano A Favorito
1Urogenital Research Unit, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. sampaio@vm.uff.br
Aims:
This study was performed to determine the proportion of the parenchyma and sinus structures of pig kidneys and the distance between the collecting system and the kidney surface.
Methods:
Forty-one pig kidneys were analyzed. Cavalieri's principle was used to obtain the volume of the cortex, medulla and sinus, as well the proportions of the arteries, veins and collecting system in the sinus.
Results:
The volume of the renal parenchyma varied from 129 to 488.4 cm(3). The renal cortex was 83.79% and the medulla 16.21%. The collecting system occupied the greatest part of the sinus, ranging from 34.78 to 71.91% of the renal sinus. The collecting system was closer to the dorsal than to the ventral surface in the cranial pole (p < 0.001) and the hilar zone (p < 0.01). The distance from the collecting system to the medial border was shorter than that to the lateral border in the caudal pole (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
With this new information about the variation in thickness of the pig renal parenchyma, continued studies using the pig model are needed to support the use of radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation in deep and large renal tumors with a component in the renal sinus.
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