Comparison of the effects of hepatic nerve stimulation on arterial flow, distribution of arterial and portal flows and blood content in the livers of anaesthetized cats and dogs.

1. The responses to hepatic nerve stimulation were studied in cats and dogs anaesthetized with sodium pentobarbitone. In three series of experiments, hepatic arterial flow was recorded by an electromagnetic flowmeter, intrahepatic distributions of arterial and portal flows were studied by radioactive microspheres, and hepatic volume responses were measured by a plethysmographic method.2. In cats, nerve stimulation produced a frequency-dependent decrease in hepatic arterial flow which was not maintained and autoregulatory escape occurred. In dogs, the initial decrease in arterial flow was similar but escape did not occur and the vasoconstriction was well maintained.3. In both cats and dogs, stimulation of the hepatic nerves did not cause a redistribution of either arterial or portal flows within the liver. Autoregulatory escape in the liver of the cat was not associated with an intrahepatic redistribution of arterial flow and is best interpreted as relaxation of the same vessels which were initially constricted, due to increased production of a vasodilator factor.4. Stimulation of the hepatic nerves caused a marked frequency-dependent decrease in hepatic volume which was well maintained and the responses were similar in cats and dogs. The quantitative importance of the liver as a blood reservoir is compared in relation to other vascular beds and the concept of the blood volume reserve is discussed.