Liver preservation: A comparison of celsior to colloid-free University of Wisconsin solution

Introduction. Celsior (GEL) was formulated specifically for heart preservat ion. Recently some preliminary reports have suggested that CEL is also effe ctive for liver preservation. In this study liver preservation with CEL was compared to colloid-free University of Wisconsin solution (MUW). Methods, Arterialized rat liver isografts were flushed and stored for 24 hr at 0 degreesC in GEL or MUW before orthotopic transplantation. Plasma albu min, bilirubin, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphata se were measured 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after surgery, Results. All recipients of MUW-preserved livers survived, none of the recip ients of GEL-preserved grafts lived beyond 3 days. On day I, AST was raised in all rats but rats receiving GEL-preserved liver grafts were also marked ly hypoglycemic, hypoalbuminemic and had elevated alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion. Celsior is not an effective solution for long-term Liver preser vation in its present composition.