A NEW SURGICAL-PROCEDURE CONSISTING OF LIGATION OF THE COMMON HEPATIC-ARTERY AND AUTOTRANSPLANTATION OF HEPATOCYTES INTO THE SPLEEN FOR END-STAGE LIVER-CIRRHOSIS ACCOMPANIED BY ASCITES

The authors developed a new surgical procedure for end stage liver cir rhosis associated with ascites. This procedure consists of ligation of the common hepatic artery and hepatocyte inoculation into the spleen (method A) and in this study is compared with common hepatic artery li gation alone (method B). Six of the eleven dogs operated by method A s urvived for six months or more with a significant (P<0.01) difference in the three month survival in comparison with method B. In the hemody namic study of both methods, the portal vein pressure and portal resis tance decreased as a result of operation, but in method B, they return ed to preoperative levels and in method A the low levels persisted for more than one year. In our method, liver function improved remarkably after three months. The hepaplastin and the cholinesterase levels inc reased after three months in method A with a significant difference (P <0.01) in comparison with method B. The labeling index (L.I.) of intra splenic hepatocytes also increased three months later. We emphasize th at our method is an ideal procedure not only to improve portal haemody namics but also to improve liver function, in end stage cirrhosis.