Porcine Orthotopic Liver Autotransplantation: Facilitated Technique

• Published in: Journal of investigative surgery Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 79 - 82
• Main Author: Salvatore Gruttadauria, Giovanni Marino, Francesca Catalano, Antonia Vittoria Sgroi, Gian Luca Di Mauro, Francesco Basile
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Informa UK Ltd 2001; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Animals; Female; Hepatectomy - methods; Liver Transplantation - methods; Models, Animal; Porcine Orthotopic Liver Autograft Experimental Surgery Liver Surgery; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical - methods; Swine; Transplantation, Autologous
• ISSN: 0894-1939; 1521-0553
• DOI: 10.1080/08941930152024192

The technique of a liver autograft in the pig has three advantages: (1) It provides an excellent training model of liver transplantation, (2) it provides an experimental model for cancer research, and (3) it is more economical than liver allotransplant. We describe a facilitated technique of liver autograft, which can be employed to develop experimental models without the use of a biopump. Mean blood arterial pressure, heart rate, pH, and lactates were tested during the liver grafting and at the end of the procedure in pigs that underwent autografting of the liver and compared with pigs that underwent an orthotopic liver allotransplantation. The cell damage was assessed in the same two groups of animals by monitoring aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) blood levels and with the MEGX test, 15 min after the beginning of reperfusion. The surgical procedure may be divided into three parts: hepatectomy, side-to-side portocaval shunt with passive caval-jugular shunt, and reimplantation. This procedure could have a clinical indication for otherwise unresectable liver tumors.