A Low Cost Metal-Free Vascular Access Mini-Port for Artifact Free Imaging and Repeated Injections in Mice

Small injection ports for mice are increasingly used for drug testing or when administering contrast agents. Commercially available mini-ports are expensive single-use items that cause imaging-artifacts. We developed and tested an artifact-free, low-cost, vascular access mini-port (VAMP) for mice..With the VAMP there was no evidence of leakage with repeated punctures, high speed bolus contrast injections, and drawing of blood samples. In contrast to the tested commercially available ports, the VAMP did not cause artifacts with MRI or CT imaging.The VAMP is an alternative to commercially available mini-ports and has useful applications in animal research involving imaging procedures and contrast agent testing