Purpose: To develop a clinically relevant porcine model for the study of hepatic metabolism of drugs by means of hepatic vein catheterization.
Materials and methods: review of literature and elaboration of a hypothesis, design of an experimental method.
Results: recent clinical studies were conducted by withdrawing cirrhotic patients' blood from right hepatic vein during hepatic vein pressure gradient measurements. Basing on our personal clinical experience and evaluation of research needs, an experimental model is proposed.
Conclusions: contemporary measurement of peripheral and hepatic concentration of drugs by peripheral vein and hepatic vein catheterization can be used to create a reliable and reproducible porcine model to study liver metabolism of drugs in vivo.
Keywords: hepatic veins; liver; remifentanil metabolism.