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Rabbit hepatic arterial anatomy variations: implications on experimental design.
Alda L Tam1, Marites P Melancon2, Joe Ensor3
1Section of Interventional Radiology, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA alda.tam@mdanderson.org.
Acta Radiologica (Stockholm, Sweden : 1987)
|December 3, 2013
Summary
Rabbit liver cancer models require understanding hepatic arterial anatomy. Arterial variants are common, with gastric branches frequently arising from the proper hepatic artery, influencing treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Radiology
- Surgical Anatomy
- Oncology Research Models
Background:
- The VX2 rabbit model is crucial for evaluating locoregional anticancer therapies.
- Accurate knowledge of rabbit hepatic arterial anatomy is vital for catheter-directed experiments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the normal anatomy of the celiac axis and hepatic artery in rabbits.
- To identify and describe anatomic variations in rabbit hepatic vasculature.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 222 rabbit angiograms.
- Classification of celiac axis branching patterns and measurement of major branch diameters.
- Statistical comparison of arterial sizes using paired t-tests.
Main Results:
- Anatomic variants of the celiac axis or hepatic artery were observed in 25.9% of rabbits.
- Gastric branches originated from the proper hepatic artery in 23.3% of cases.
- The right hepatic artery (mean 0.67 mm) was significantly smaller than the left hepatic artery (mean 1.25 mm).
Conclusions:
- Anatomical variations in rabbit hepatic arteries are frequent.
- Gastric artery origins from the proper hepatic artery are common.
- Targeting the left lateral lobe for tumor implantation is recommended due to significant hepatic artery size differences for superselective interventions.
