Effectiveness of porto-intracaval shunt to reduce the negative effects of portal and caval clamping in the rabbit

In performing experimental liver surgery, it is difficult to prolong anhepa tic time because the animals do not tolerate prolonged portal and caval cla mping. To counteract prolonged venous stasis, the authors previously develo ped a simple porto-intracaval shunt. The shunt consists of a self-construct ed inverted Y silicone tube. The effectiveness of this shunt was studied co mparing two groups of 10 rabbits with shunt (S) versus those with clamped p ortal and inferior caval vein (C), in the group of rabbits that underwent p orto-vein intracaval shunt, the results concerning intraoperative mortality , intraoperative increase in distal portal vein pressure, and incidence of the histologic signs of gut damage were clearly improved. The proposed port o-intracaval shunt was therefore effective in reducing some principal negat ive effects of portal and caval clamping. This type of porto-intracaval shu nt can be therefore useful allowing improvement of experimental models conc erning river surgery in little animals. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, inc.