A simple two-stage technique of total hepatectomy in the rat

We describe a novel, two-stage technique of total hepatectomy in the rat. In the first stage, acute and progressive atrophy of the posterior liver lobes attached to the inferior vena cava is induced by selective portal venous branch ligations. Two weeks later, when these lobes comprise approximately only 3% of the total liver mass, the hepatic artery is ligated and the enlarged anterior liver lobes are resected. An end-to-side porto-caval shunt is then carried out to ensure vascular integrity of the splanchnic area. This procedure was associated with no operative mortality and glucose-supplemented animals had a mean survival time of 20 +/- 5 hr. The anhepatic state was associated with significant metabolic and biochemical changes associated with necrosis of a small residual liver parenchyma. This animal preparation is a reproducible model of the anhepatic phase of experimental fulminant hepatic failure.