Modification of the Bollman/Van Hook method of a two-stage hepatectomy in the rat : a simpler and safer surgical technique

Gary Martinic, Xanthe Wells

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Complete hepatectomy enables definitive assessment of the role of the liver in the in vivo metabolism of pharmacologic agents, such as the widely used anticoagulant heparin. The methodology described here was developed during a study on the role of the liver in the catabolism of heparin in rats (1). Initially a reticuloendothelial system (RES) blocker was used; however, it was not suitable for studying heparin breakdown, because it has a similar chemical structure (1). Partial hepatectomy often is used as a means of studying hepatic biochemical and pathophysiologic factors (2); however, because some functional liver tissue remains, the method was not suitable for our needs, as we wished to ascertain the definitive role of the liver in heparin breakdown. Complete removal of the liver was, therefore, the most suitable procedure to fulfil the aims of the study. In rats, this surgical procedure can only be performed successfully as a 2-stage operation, otherwise the animal dies immediately (3). The first stage involves the placement of loosely tied ligatures around the hepatic portal vein and caudal vena cava of young animals so that, as the animals grow, these major vessels are slowly occluded and collateral vessels develop. In the second stage of the procedure, the blood supply to the liver is totally occluded, and the organ can be removed completely. In our report, we describe a modified procedure developed from the technique described by Bollman and Van Hook (4), which uses 3 ligatures during the final stage. In the study reported here, we used 2 ligatures, thus reducing the time required and the risk of damage to vessels.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)77-79
Number of pages3
JournalContemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science
Volume36
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 1997

Keywords

  • anticoagulants (medicine)
  • hepatectomy
  • liver
  • rats
  • surgery

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