[The surgical problem of experimental liver transplantation in swine]

Lethal causes of 33 experimental animals which survived more than 3 days after liver transplantation were rejection of the graft, thrombosis of vascular stems, bile duct obstruction, and gastric ulcers. Trombogenesis in the vascular stems can be inhibited by application of anticoagulants during and after operation. Obstruction of the bile duct anastomosis can be prevented by the author's previously reported method of drainage. The papilla of the duodenum is spared in order to reduce ascending infection. In no case immunosuppressive treatment was applied. Nevertheless, there was long-term survival of the experimental animals (longer than 1 year) in good general state and with normal sexual functions. Till now the authors could prove no alterations in the descendants that might be caused by the hepatic transplantation in the parents.