Hepatic Angiography: A Procedure to Visualize Liver Tumor Vessels in a Rabbit Model

Palpate the femoral groove in the groin, and make a 2 to 3-centimeter linear incision along the groove. Using blunt dissection, locate and isolate the femoral bundle containing the femoral vein, artery, and nerve, and use blunt dissection to separate the femoral artery from the rest of the structures in the bundle. Isolate the artery atop a scalpel handle, and use the Seldinger technique and a 3-French introducer kit, to introduce a needle into the vessel.

Insert a guidewire into the artery, and remove the needle, to carefully advance the 3-French sheath into the vessel. Remove the dilator and guidewire from the sheath to complete vascular access. Under fluoroscopic guidance, insert the catheter into the celiac trunk at the T12 level, and advance the catheter into the left hepatic artery via the common hepatic and proper hepatic arteries.

When the catheter reaches the left hepatic artery, inject contrast agent to confirm the presence of a hypervascular tumor, which can then be treated with an intra-arterial therapy of choice, and remove the catheter. Using 3-0 silk suture, ligate the femoral artery proximally and distally to the insertion point of the sheath, taking care to tighten the knot proximal to the sheath as it is withdrawn to prevent bleeding. Then, use 4-0 polyglactin 910 sutures on a cutting needle and a subcuticular stitch to close the groin incision.