First hip hemiarthroplasty in a Göttingen Minipig; surgical and post-mortem protocol

• Published in: Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research 2024-09, Vol.19 (1), p.549-13, Article 549
• Main Authors: Hartmann, Katrine Top, Odgaard, Anders, Knudsen, Ulrik Kragegaard, Aalbæk, Bent, Kvich, Lasse, Birch, Julie Melsted, Petersen, Andreas, Bjarnsholt, Thomas, Jensen, Henrik Elvang, Jensen, Louise Kruse
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Animal model; Animals; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip - adverse effects; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip - methods; Biofilm; Disease Models, Animal; Disease susceptibility; Female; Göttingen minipig; Health aspects; Hemiarthroplasty - adverse effects; Hemiarthroplasty - methods; Hip Prosthesis - adverse effects; Implants, Artificial; Infection; Orthopedic surgery; Prosthesis; Prosthesis-Related Infections - etiology; Prosthetic joint infection; Swine; Swine, Miniature
• ISSN: 1749-799X; 1749-799X
• DOI: 10.1186/s13018-024-05040-z

Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are recalcitrant, hard-to-treat infections and severe complications of joint arthroplasty. Therefore, there is a need to develop new effective treatment strategies, and animal models of high clinical relevance are needed. This study aimed to develop a detailed surgical protocol for hip hemiarthroplasty in Göttingen minipigs and a thorough post-mortem sampling protocol to pave the way for creating a minipig PJI model. Three adult female Göttingen minipigs underwent surgery with insertion of a hip hemiarthroplasty, using the anterior approach to the hip joint. After surgery the minipigs were followed closely with daily clinical evaluation and gait scoring. Comprehensive post-mortem analyses were performed with evaluation of macroscopic lesions, microbiology, synovial fluid analysis and histology. The study resulted in the first Göttingen minipig with hip hemiarthroplasty and identified several points of awareness when inserting a hip prosthesis in minipigs, especially the high risk of joint dislocation. A spontaneous PJI occurred in one of the minipigs, revealing an impaired ability of the immune cells to reach the bacteria at the bone-prosthesis interface. The present study provides a detailed description of surgical technique and post-mortem sampling and validates the suitability of the hip hemiarthroplasty minipig model for future experimental modeling of PJI.