Effect of arteriovenous fistula size on arterialized and host livers in rats

In studying the hemodynamic relationship and behavior of peak blood flow indexes at different sizes of arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) using arterialized partial liver transplants (PLT), 96 male Wistar rats served as donors and recipients of heterotopic PLT in an acute phase study using ether anesthesia. AVF of 1, 2, and 3 mm were compared with a control group (0 mm) along the "index of peak perfusion rate" of blood flow, the dependent variable. We found that with increasing AVF sizes, a progressive fall in the peak blood flow in the host livers (P less than 0.01, r = -0.51) and a similar rise in the same index in the graft livers (P less than 0.01, r = +0.76) were documented. Also noted was a gradual fall in the cardiac pulsatility component of perfusion to both host and graft livers at AVF sizes of 2 and 3 mm. The same component of perfusion to host and graft livers was best at AVF size of 1 mm. It was concluded that a 1-mm AVF provided the best degree of arterialization to a PLT.