Animal Models for Peritoneal Dialysis Research

The concept of peritoneal dialysis as a therapeutic modality for end stage renal disease was first demonstrated by Putnam in 1923 in a canine animal model [1]. Over the past 30 years, as peritoneal dialysis has been increasingly used and modified as a therapy for renal failure, animal models have been used to understand the physiology of the peritoneum membrane, and to test new therapeutic interventions to improve the outcomes of patients treated with peritoneal dialysis.