An endovascular porcine model of abdominal aortic aneurysm for interventional radiology research

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains a life-threatening condition with few large-animal disease models. We aimed to develop a fully endovascular porcine AAA model for radiology research, reducing surgical trauma and improving reproducibility versus laparotomy-based models.

Fourteen female German Landrace swine (n = 14, 30-40 kg) underwent angiography-guided intervention. The animals' infrarenal aorta was dilated by ~30% via balloon catheter, then collagenase (6,000 IU), elastase (500 IU), and 25% calcium chloride (0.5 mL) were locally incubated to weaken the vessel wall. Eight animals were included in the study; group 1 (n = 4) was euthanized at 2 weeks, and group 2 (n = 4) at 4 weeks. Aortic diameter was measured weekly by ultrasound; ex vivo histology, immunofluorescence, and western blot assessed remodeling and inflammation.

Progressive aneurysm expansion was observed, with diameters of 1.32 ± 0.08 cm (mean ± standard deviation) at 1 week post-intervention, 1.59 ± 0.06 cm at 2 weeks, 1.81 ± 0.10 cm at 3 weeks, and 1.94 ± 0.19 cm at 4 weeks (baseline: 0.74 ± 0.08 cm; p < 0.001). Experimental groups' macrophages increased (group 1, 15.12 ± 3.88%; group 2, 16.65 ± 5.27%) compared to control (0.66 ± 0.27%, p = 0.012 and p = 0.021, respectively). Vascular smooth muscle cells were reduced across interventional groups (45.97 ± 17.26% versus control 80.94 ± 14.26%, p = 0.005).

This porcine AAA model replicates human disease features with a fully endovascular workflow, offering a valuable platform for evaluation of novel imaging techniques and interventional therapies.

This study presents a fully endovascular porcine model of abdominal aortic aneurysm for translational research in interventional radiology and imaging. By enabling aneurysm induction entirely through catheter-based techniques, the model could provide a clinically relevant platform for future evaluation of novel endovascular devices and intraluminal therapeutics.

This study established a fully endovascular, translational porcine model of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The model exhibited a significant mean aneurysmal dilation of about 161% at 4 weeks and 107% at 2 weeks. Serial ultrasound confirmed consistent aneurysm expansion and reproducible growth patterns in surviving animals. Ex vivo analyses demonstrated inflammation and extracellular-matrix damage, mirroring key features of human abdominal aortic aneurysm pathology. This fully catheter-based workflow provides a practical preclinical platform for evaluating imaging techniques and endovascular therapies.