Journal of Liver: Krankheit und Transplantation

A New Pig Model of Auxiliary Partial Liver Transplantation Based on Anastomosis with Intrahepatic Inferior Vena Cava of Recipient

Bin Chen, Xiaopeng Chen, Yongquan Chen, Xiaojing Yang, Linming Lu, Xiangming Zhu and Fangman Chen

A New Pig Model of Auxiliary Partial Liver Transplantation Based on Anastomosis with
Intrahepatic Inferior Vena Cava of Recipient

Auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation (APOLT) is a feasible approach to treat patients with fulminant hepatic failure and metabolic liver diseases. It is still necessary to establish a simple and reliable APOLT model using large animals for deep research.Ten healthy male or female domestic pigs, weighing 20- 35 kg, were randomly selected to be either donor group (n=8) or recipient group (n=8). The right liver of donor was used as a graft. After the left lobe of recipient was resected, the anterior wall of the distal intrahepatic inferior vena cava was properly dissected. Endto- side anastomosis was performed between graft suprahepatic inferior vena cava and host distal intrahepatic inferior vena cava. End-to-side anastomosis was performed between the donor and recipient portal veins. After the spleen of recipient was resected, end-to-end anastomosis was made between graft hepatic artery and host splenic artery, and a cannula was inserted into host splenicvein for postoperative portal phlebography. The common bile duct of donor was intubated for external drainage.