Segmental nature of the porcine liver and its potential as a model for experimental partial hepatectomy

TLDR

In-depth knowledge of pig liver anatomy enables research into segmental resections, regeneration, and transplantation, yet the segmental anatomy remains largely unknown. The study aimed to delineate the porcine liver’s segmental anatomy relative to humans. The authors used acrylic injection casting of ex vivo pig livers to visualize arterial, venous, and biliary supply, and correlated the results with multi‑slice CT and 3‑D reconstructions for virtual surgery and volume assessment. The study found that despite morphological differences, the porcine liver’s segmental vascular and biliary anatomy closely mirrors that of humans, making swine a suitable model and enabling accurate virtual surgery and volume assessment via acrylic casting and CT reconstructions.

Abstract

In-depth knowledge of pig liver anatomy allows potential research into segmental liver resections and hepatic regeneration, as well as liver transplantation techniques. The segmental anatomy, however, remains largely unknown. This study aimed to delineate the segmental anatomy of the porcine liver in comparison with that of the human.The segmental anatomy of the porcine liver was determined using acrylic injection casting of ex vivo pig livers, allowing the arterial, venous and biliary supply to be visualized directly. This was correlated using multi-slice computed tomography (CT) and three-dimensional reconstructions.Although the external morphology of the porcine liver differs from that of the human, the segmental anatomy is remarkably similar in term of its vascularity and biliary tree.Acrylic casting of the porcine liver accurately delineates the vascular and biliary anatomy, and is a useful tool for performing experimental liver surgery. The similarities between porcine and human segmental anatomy allow domestic swine to be used as a comparable model. Three-dimensional CT reconstructions can also accurately visualize the anatomy and may be used to perform virtual surgery, or to assess segmental volumes.