Sun Fei, Sánchez Francisco M, Crisóstomo Verónica, Lima Juan R, Luis Laura, García-Martínez Virginio, López-Sánchez Carmen, Usón Jesús, Maynar Manuel
Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre Jesús Usón, Carretera N-521, km. 41.8, 10071 Cáceres, Spain.
Radiology. 2008 Mar;246(3):783-9. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2463070647. Epub 2008 Jan 25.
To prospectively evaluate the technical feasibility and safety of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) of the prostate in healthy pigs.
The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee for animal research. Sixteen large white male pigs were randomly assigned to the embolization group (n = 8) or control group (n = 8). Selective angiography was performed in all animals after general anesthesia was induced. In the embolization group, microspheres 500-700 microm in diameter were used to occlude the prostatic branches. Three months later, the animals' sexual function while breeding with female pigs was subjectively evaluated by using a three-point scale. At necropsy, the prostates were removed for size measurement and histopathologic examination. Paired Student t and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for statistical analysis.
TAE was technically successful in all animals, without associated complications. The mean prostate volume after embolization was significantly (P < .001) reduced compared with the mean prostate volume for the group control. No significant difference (P = .328) in sexual function was noted between the two groups. Histologic examination revealed that the microspheres had occluded the arterioles of the prostate, with disappearance of the nearby partially normal gland structure and atrophy of the residual gland tissue.
TAE of the prostate can induce shrinkage of the prostate without compromising the sexual desire and erectile function of animals. This finding suggests that TAE has potential as an alternative treatment for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia in humans.
前瞻性评估经导管动脉栓塞术（TAE）在健康猪前列腺中的技术可行性和安全性。
本研究经机构动物研究伦理委员会批准。16只大白雄性猪被随机分为栓塞组（n = 8）或对照组（n = 8）。所有动物在诱导全身麻醉后进行选择性血管造影。在栓塞组中，使用直径500 - 700微米的微球栓塞前列腺分支。三个月后，采用三点量表对动物与母猪交配时的性功能进行主观评估。尸检时，取出前列腺进行大小测量和组织病理学检查。采用配对学生t检验和Wilcoxon秩和检验进行统计分析。
TAE在所有动物中技术上均获成功，且无相关并发症。栓塞后前列腺平均体积与对照组相比显著减小（P <.001）。两组间性功能无显著差异（P =.328）。组织学检查显示微球已栓塞前列腺小动脉，附近部分正常腺体结构消失，残余腺体组织萎缩。
前列腺TAE可使前列腺缩小，且不影响动物的性欲和勃起功能。这一发现表明TAE有可能成为人类有症状良性前列腺增生的替代治疗方法。
