Flow- and pressure-adapted portal arterialization in dogs

The effects of portal arterialization after portacaval shunt were studied in dogs. Flow- and pressure-adapted portal arterialization was performed by mounting a Teflon cuff on an autogenous vein bypass graft between the hepatic stump of the portal vein and the right renal artery. Immediately following operation, the total hepatic blood flow and intrahepatic portal venous pressure were within normal range. Eight weeks after operation, the intrahepatic portal venous pressure remained within the preoperative range, while total hepatic blood flow had increased double or triple. However, structural change due to increased flow was absent in the liver, even sixteen months after operation. Body weight, liver enzyme chemistry, ICG clearance rate, and amino acid metabolism were well maintained for the entire period of investigation. These findings suggest that sequelae such as hepatic encephalopathy and impaired hepatic metabolism after portacaval shunt can be avoided by portal arterialization, in the presence of an appropriate flow and pressure.