Ae. El-desoky et al., Assessment of hepatic ischaemia reperfusion injury by measuring intracellular tissue oxygenation using near infrared spectroscopy, LIVER, 21(1), 2001, pp. 37-44
Aims/Background: Hepatic ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major caus
e of liver damage during liver surgery and transplantation. The relationshi
p between the severity of I/R injury and the degree of intracellular hypoxi
a has not been investigated. Methods: New Zealand white rabbits were used i
n 4 groups (n=6 each). At laparotomy, left lobe hepatic ischaemia was produ
ced for 30, 45, or 60 min followed by 60 min reperfusion and compared with
controls. Liver function, bile flow, and flow in the hepatic microcirculati
on (HM) were measured. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to monito
r hepatic oxyhaemoglobin (HbO(2)), deoxyhaemoglobin (Hb), and cytochrome ox
idase (Cyt Ox). Results: I/R injury produced deranged liver function tests,
reduced bile flow, and reduced flow in the microcirculation in comparison
with controls. During ischaemia, HbO(2) and Cyt Ox were significantly reduc
ed in comparison with controls. After reperfusion, a biphasic change in tis
sue oxygenation was observed, with an initial increase in HbO(2) and Cyt Ox
followed by a progressive reduction. The reduction in tissue oxygenation w
ith ischaemia and reperfusion paralleled the ischaemia time. After I/R, the
changes in Cyt Ox (intracellular oxygenation) significantly correlated wit
h the parameters of hepatocellular injury to a higher degree than HbO(2) (e
xtracellular oxygenation). Conclusion: This study shows the potential of mo
nitoring the degree of IIR injury by measuring hepatic tissue intracellular
oxygenation.