Chronic portal hypertension in the rat by triple-portal stenosing ligation.

A surgical technique based on the development of a triple stenosing ligation is used to worsen the complications inherent to the prehepatic chronic portal hypertension. The results have been compared with those obtained in rats with a single-portal stenosing ligation. An increase (p <.05) in the body, liver, spleen, and kidney weights as well as a decrease (p <.001) in the testes weight to body weight ratio were produced in both groups of animals. In addition, the variability in the obtained weights, particularly in the liver weight, stands out. The incidence of portosystemic and portohepatic collateral circulation and of the mesenteric venous vasculopathy increases in the animals with triple-portal stenosing ligation. The new proposed technique is a valid alternative to the classic one that used single portal stenosing ligation.