Gastrointestinal histological injury in pigs subjected to triple stent interposition in the thoracoabdominal aorta.

PURPOSE: To evaluate gastrointestinal histological injury in pigs subjected to triple stent interposition versus a control group, hypothesizing no significant injury increase with triple stents.

METHODS

A prospective study with 15 pigs divided into a control group (G0, n = 5) undergoing arteriography only, and a triple stent group (G3, n = 10) undergoing arteriography and three stent implantations in the thoracoabdominal aorta. After an eight-day observation, arteriography, euthanasia, and en bloc gastrointestinal harvesting were performed. Lesions were graded using the Park/Chiu classification, and serum markers were analyzed pre- and post-procedure.

RESULTS

Arteriography confirmed mesenteric artery patency in all animals. Histological analysis showed ischemic lesions in 88.9% of G3, mainly in the colon (89%), compared to 60% in G0, primarily in the colon (60%) and stomach (40%). Most G3 lesions were grade 1, while G0 had higher-grade lesions. Serum markers showed no significant intergroup differences.

CONCLUSION

Triple stent interposition did not significantly increase gastrointestinal injury, indicating its safety for maintaining gastrointestinal perfusion in this model.