Contribution of the liver to thoracic duct lymph flow in a motionless subject

To ascertain the contribution of the liver to thoracic duct lymph (TDL) flow in a resting subject, afferent hepatic blood flow was temporarily interrupted in dogs by placing an atraumatic clamp across the hepatoduodenal ligament containing the hepatic artery, portal vein and 80% of hepatic lymphatic drainage. To circumvent extrahepatic splanchnic venous sequestration, a side-to-side portacaval shunt (S-S-PCS) was constructed prior to interrupting blood flow. Portal venous pressure, cervical TDL flow, and total protein content were serially monitored. TDL and total protein after S-S-PCS was comparable to that recorded in dogs without celiotomy (0.60 +/- 0.17 ml/min and 3.4 +/- 0.5g/dl, respectively). Interruption of hepatic blood flow was associated with a fall in TDL flow (0.38 +/- 0.8ml; p less than 0.001) and protein content (2.8 +/- 0.7g/dl; p less than 0.01) and TDL/plasma protein ratio (0.58 +/- 0.7 to 0.48 +/- 0.05; p less than 0.01). These data suggest that in the absence of supplemental fluid administration or other exogenous stimulation, hepatic lymph contributes one-third of resting TDL flow.