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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
A Porcine Model of Acute Autologous Pulmonary Embolism
Published on: September 6, 2024
Bariatric Radioembolization: A Pilot Study on Technical Feasibility and Safety in a Porcine Model
Alexander S Pasciak1, Austin C Bourgeois2, Ben E Paxton3
1Departments of Radiology, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee; The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Purpose:
To evaluate feasibility of left gastric artery (LGA) yttrium-90 ((90)Y) radioembolization as potential treatment for obesity in a porcine model.
Materials And Methods:
This study included 8 young female pigs (12-13 weeks, 21.8-28.1 kg). Six animals received infusions of (90)Y resin microspheres (46.3-105.1 MBq) into the main LGA and the gastric artery arising from the splenic artery. Animal weight and serum ghrelin were measured before treatment and weekly thereafter. Animals were euthanized 69-74 days after treatment, and histologic analyses of mucosal integrity and ghrelin immunoreactive cell density were performed.
Results:
Superficial mucosal ulcerations < 3.0 cm(2) were noted in 5 of 6 treated animals. Ghrelin immunoreactive cell density was significantly lower in treated versus untreated animals in the stomach fundus (13.5 vs 34.8, P < .05) and stomach body (11.2 vs 19.8, P < .05). Treated animals gained less weight than untreated animals over the study duration (40.2 kg ± 5.4 vs 54.7 kg ± 6.5, P = .053). Average fundic parietal area (165 cm(2) vs 282 cm(2), P = .067) and average stomach weight (297.2 g vs 397.0 g, P = .067) were decreased in treated versus untreated animals. Trichrome staining revealed significantly more fibrosis in treatment animals compared with control animals (13.0 vs 8.6, P < .05). No significant differences were identified in plasma ghrelin concentrations (P = .24).
Conclusions:
LGA (90)Y radioembolization is promising as a potential treatment for obesity. A larger preclinical study is needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this procedure further.
