J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 82(10): 1236-1247, 1981

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Original article

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE TREATMENT OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS BY PORTAL BRANCH LIGATION

A branch of portal vein perfusing 70% of the liver was ligated in rat with liver cirrhosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine. The ligated and unligated lobes were studied on mitochondrial function at 24 hr, DNA synthesis and energy charge at 24 and 36 hr and histology at one week after portal branch ligation (PBL). In addition, the maximal removal rate of indocyanine green (ICG Rmax) was evaluated in the rats survived for 5 weeks after PBL.
The following results were obtained in mild to moderate cirrhotic liver.: 1) The unligated lobe, which often turned bright red immediately after PBL, showed enhancement of mitochondrial functions at 24 hr and DNA synthesis at 24 and 36 hr after PBL. On the contrary, mitochondrial functions of the ligated lobe were suppressed and DNA synthesis of that remained unchanged, 2) energy charge remained unchanged in both lobes, 3) the unligated lobe showed marked regenerative hypertrophy and histological improvement one week after PBL, while the ligated lobe atrophied and 4) ICG Rmax improved remarkably 5 weeks after PBL. However, in the most advanced cirrhotic liver, regenerative hypertrophy of the unligated lobe was rarely observed in association with higher mortality.
It is suggested that PBL might be applied to the treatment of liver cirrhosis in man except for advanced ones.

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