Evaluation of a porcine whole-limb heterotopic autotransplantation model.

Recently performed vascularized composite tissue allotransplantations (CTAs) stimulate the ongoing research in the area of whole-limb transplantation. A reliable in vivo animal model is required for investigations in vascularized whole-limb CTA. The model should allow in vivo assessment in whole-limb preservation, allograft and xenograft response, and host immunomodulation. The goal of this study is to describe and evaluate the in vivo feasibility and reproducibility of a whole-limb porcine model as a basis for future research in this field.