%0 journal article %@ 0920-5268 %A Hiebl, B., Mueller, C., Jung, F., Huenigen, H., Hamm, B., Plendl, J., Niehues, S.M. %D 2009 %J Applied Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiology %N 4 %P 318-321 %T Macro- and micromorphometric studies of the vascular structures from the Göttingen® minipig %U 4 %X The study was aimed to describe the macro- and microvascular characteristics of adult Göttingen® minipigs (n=18) by use of CT-imaging and histology over a time period of 4 months starting from 16 months of age up to 20 months. The animals showed no clinical symptoms of disease and were kept in-house at a light/dark rhythm of 12:12 under defined climatic conditions. The experiments were licensed by the regional authorities for health and social affairs (LaGeSo), Berlin. The study included the measurement of the length and of the luminal diameter of arteries and veins from the neck, thorax, abdomen, and limbs which are frequently used in experiments with pigs. In addition microscopical and histological parameters (luminal vessel diameter, thickness of the tunica externa, tunica media, and tunica interna) were studied on hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections of the blood vessel.