A method for quantitation of hepatic, pancreatic, and intestinal function in conscious Yucatan miniature swine.

A right laparotomy was performed in anesthetized miniature swine. A hepatic vein was catheterized through the diaphragmatic surface of the left lateral lobe of the liver or through the cut surface of the right lateral lobe following a partial lobectomy. Continuous wave Doppler flow cuffs were applied to the hepatic artery and portal vein. Portal vein catheterization was accomplished through a stab incision made through the center of a preplaced purse string suture. Catheters and flow cuff wires exited the abdomen at the dorsal limit of the incision and were placed in nylon packs. Sterile surgery of the right ventro-lateral cervical region allowed catheterization of the right external jugular vein and carotid artery. These catheters were passed subcutaneously to the dorsum of the neck and inserted into another nylon pack. This method allowed repetitive experiments on conscious miniature swine after recovery from surgery. It allowed accurate quantitative determination of hepatic extraction of hormones as well as extraction of production of metabolites. Rates of intestinal absorption and pancreatic hormone secretion also could be assessed.