Background: A small animal model of one-stage total hepatectomy is needed for the study of the consequences of fulminant liver failure and to investigate the extrahepatic metabolism of drugs metabolized by the liver. The models of hepatectomy described previously in the rat have the disadvantage of multiple stages, technical difficulty, or achievement of only an incomplete removal of the liver tissue.
Methods: A Y-shaped graft was prepared from the inferior vena cava and the left renal vein of a donor rat. A total hepatectomy was performed in a recipient rat. The graft was placed and the portorenal and lower cavocaval anastomoses were performed by means of the polyethylene cuff technique. The upper cavocaval anastomosis was fashioned with a continuous suture. The procedure was performed on 49 rats, and the animals were studied for survival and biochemical profiles.
Results: The surgical procedure took a mean of 40 +/- 5 minutes and was not associated with any operative deaths. The portal clamping time did not exceed 15 minutes. Spontaneous mean survival of the anhepatic rats was 360 +/- 30 minutes, and glucose supplemented animals had a mean survival time of 20 +/- 5 hours. The anhepatic state was associated with significant metabolic and biochemical alterations.
Conclusions: This procedure is quick to perform and does not require considerable microsurgical expertise. It provides a reproducible small animal model of total hepatectomy that is particularly useful for metabolic studies.