Development of a Porcine Model of Arteriovenous Fistula Venous Stenosis Treated with Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty

Purpose: To develop a porcine model for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) venous stenosis treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and compare outcomes of plain balloon angioplasty (POBA) to IN.PACT paclitaxel drug-coated balloons (DCB).

Materials and methods: Twelve castrated male Yorkshire pigs (4-5 months, 35-45kg) underwent renal artery embolization to induce chronic kidney disease (CKD). Twenty-eight days later, AVF was created by anastomosing the left external jugular vein to left common carotid artery. The pigs were divided into a pilot group (n=6) for optimizing the AVF technique (euthanized at day 4) and a definitive group (n=6) for validating PTA outcomes (euthanized at day 42). Stenosis developed at juxta-anastomosis 28 days later and was treated with POBA [pilot group (n=6), definitive group (n=3)] or DCB [definitive group only (n=3)]. Definitive group underwent biweekly 4D Flow MRI scans.

Results: All animals developed CKD, with significant increases in BUN (median increase: 2.6 to 3.2 mmol/L, P<0.001) and creatinine (median increase: 100 to 187 μmol/L, P<0.001). In the pilot group, one animal had an infected fistula, and AVF patency was 1/5. In the definitive group, the patency was 5/6 because the AVF technique was modified by resecting the sternomastoid muscle and increasing the spatulation. At day 42 post PTA, DCB treated AVF outflow vein showed increasing blood flow compared to POBA (DCB 209.8 ± 64.42 mm² vs POBA 170.9 ± 95.52 mm² p = 0.934).

Conclusions: A porcine model of AVF venous stenosis treated with PTA was developed, with blood flow trends favoring DCB over POBA.