Experimental study of lymphatico-venous communications after thoracic duct ligature in dogs

The authors performed the ligature and transection of the thoracic duct in 36 dogs, 14 male and 22 female in order to investigate the existence of lymphatico-venous communications between the thoracic duct and veins situated in thorax, especially visceral veins. The animals were divided in 6 groups (5 experimental and 1 control), and were studied 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days after the ligature. The existence of lymphatico-venous communications was observed in 18 cases (60%): 34.1% in esophageal veins; 34.1% in intercostal veins; 22.7% in azygous vein and 9.1% in the proper vein of the longus colli. The communications between the duct and the intercostal veins were more frequent in the veins from the left antimere; as for the azygous, the communications were more frequent in the segment between the 6th and 7th intercostal veins. No communications were observed in the control animals.