Experimental liver failure. A comparison between hepatectomy and hepatic devascularization in the pig.

Difficulties in the treatment of acute hepatic failure due to insufficient knowledge of the pathogenesis and the impredectability of the course has made an experimental model desirable. A number of such models have been proposed, among these hepatectomy and total hepatic devascularization. In the present study hepatectomy and total hepatic devascularization have been compared, as it has been doubted if hepatectomy, not including necrotic liver tissue, is a valid model of human hepatic failure. No significant difference was found in the survival time which was 16 h 2 min +/- 57 min in the anhepatic and 18 h 33 min +/- 1 h 5 min in the devascularized preparation. The blood pressure of the anhepatic preparation decreased gradually, in contrast that of the devascularized preparation remained stable during most of the experimental period with a terminal steep decrease. Except for an increase in serum alanin-aminotransferases and free hemoglobin, seen in the devascularized, but not in the anhepatic preparation, no differences between the two models were seen. It is concluded that the presence of necrotic tissue is of minor importance, but for technical reasons the devascularized preparation is the most suitable model for experimental hepatic failure.