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Updated: Oct 11, 2025
A Small Animal Model of Ex Vivo Normothermic Liver Perfusion
Published on: June 27, 2018
The use of ex-vivo liver perfusion circuit in sheep model: Preliminary report
Mohammed I Al-Sebayel1, Yasser M El-Sheikh1, Falah H Al-Mohanna1
1From the Department of Liver Transplantation & Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery (Al-Sebayel, El-Sheikh, Al Abbad, Al Nemry, Al-Jammali, Al-Zeer, Alsebayel, Al-Bahli); and from the Department of Comparative Medicine (Al-Mohanna), King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Objectives:
To describe a novel animal model for ex-vivo liver perfusion.
Methods:
This study was carried out at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between September 2016 and January 2019. We assembled a perfusion circuit operated by a continuous pressure-driven arterial pump with continuous portal and arterial pressure and volume measurements. We used normothermic oxygenated perfusate. The livers used were retrieved from the sheep.
Results:
Ex-vivo continuous perfusion of the liver was achieved for up to 9 hours with stable pressure and volume in both hepatic artery and portal vein. In 4 experiments the arterial pressure was kept in a range of 48-52 mmHg with a mean of 51.75±4.31 resulting in arterial volume at steady state of 223.5±48.25 ml/minute (95% confidence level). At steady state the mean portal pressure was 16.25±1.45 mmHg with a mean volume of 854±313.75 ml/minute (95% confidence level). Bile production was observed during the perfusion period. Hemodynamic parameters were similar to the physiological parameters observed in normothermic perfusion model of the porcine liver.
Conclusion:
A normothermic oxygenated ex-vivo perfusion circuit was successfully constructed using the sheep liver. A sustainable functional circuit with physiological hemodynamic parameters was achieved. Further study on sheep model seems to be feasible.
