Transurethral catheterization of pigs

Catheterization of the urinary bladder is a clinical procedure that is rarely used in pigs but may be necessary in certain situations, such as emptying the bladder or continuous collection of urine. Most authors describe catheterization in pigs as a demanding and lengthy procedure.

In this manuscript, catheterization is described in anaesthetized pigs weighing 40 kg. A Foley catheter with an inflatable balloon was used to prevent dislodgement of the catheter from the urinary bladder (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Insertion of the Foley catheter

1. Speculum enables better visualization
2. Laryngoscope serves as light source
3. Curved Rochester Pean forceps helps to insert the catheter
4. Foley catheter

The depth of catheterization (Figure 2) is important information because injury to the urethra can occur if the catheter is inserted incorrectly. Data on catheterization depth, which indicates the distance between the neck of the urinary bladder (exit of the urethra) and the mucocutaneous junction of the vulva, are not known. The average catheterization depth in 40-kg pigs in this study was 14.5 ± 1.3 cm. The procedure was successfully performed in less than five minutes in almost 80%.

Figure 2: Porcine pelvic organs and transurethrally inserted Foley catheter

The manuscript was published in Laboratory Animals in September 2021. Part of the results were presented in the same year at the 33rd Conference of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists in Ghent, Belgium. The research was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (P4-0053 in P3-0043) and by Tertiary funding from the Clinical Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. The research was approved by the National Ethics Committee and the National Veterinary Administration (U34401-20/2016/4, U34401-20/2016/9, and U34401-20/2016/13).

Authors: Jurij Žel, Jana Brankovič, Rok Klančnik, Tatjana Stopar Pintarič, Erika Cvetko in Alenka Seliškar