Anatomy of blood microcirculation in the pig epicardial ganglionated nerve plexus

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Anatomy
• Neuroanatomy
• Experimental Cardiology

Background:

• Embolization of coronary arteries can lead to cardiac ischemia and arrhythmias by affecting the intrinsic cardiac ganglionated nerve plexus (ICGP).
• Understanding the microcirculation of epicardial nerves and ganglia is crucial for evaluating animal models in cardiac research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the microcirculatory anatomy of epicardial nerves and ganglia in domestic pigs.
• To compare the vascular architecture of pig epicardial nerves and ganglia with human counterparts.
• To assess the suitability of the pig as an animal model for cardiac arrhythmia studies.

Main Methods:

• Detailed anatomical analysis of epicardial nerve and ganglion microcirculation in 11 domestic pig hearts.
• Utilized electron microscopy to observe vascular structures.
• Measured diameters of arterioles and capillaries within nerves and ganglia.

Main Results:

• Epicardial nerves receive blood supply via epineural arterioles forming an endoneurial capillary network.
• Ganglia are supplied by 2-3 arterioles, which branch into a capillary network.
• Significant quantitative and qualitative differences were observed in pig epicardial blood vessels compared to humans.
• Blood vessel density was lower in epicardial nerves than in ganglia.

Conclusions:

• The microvasculature of pig epicardial nerves and ganglia differs significantly from humans.
• Pigs may not be the optimal animal model for studies aiming to improve cardiac arrhythmia treatment via trans-coronary neuroablation.
• Further research is needed to validate animal models for cardiac neuroablation studies.