How Pigs Are Helping Surgeons Perfect Kidney Surgery

A recent study led by Decan Jiang and colleagues from RWTH Aachen and Heidelberg University Hospitals in Germany has shed light on how porcine models are helping surgical training—particularly in the complex field of kidney transplantation.

Pigs are anatomically and physiologically close to humans, making them ideal candidates for surgical training. Practicing renal autotransplantation—where a kidney is removed and reimplanted in the same animal, allows to investigate the immunological responses and pathophysiology in the renal transplantation setting as well as to test and develop new organ preservation techniques, novel drugs, and surgical approaches.