Liver transplantation in the rat: surgical experience with 212 liver transplants.

A technique is described for orthotopic liver transplantation in the rat using polyethylene cuffs to re-establish subhepatic cava and portal vascular anastomoses. This procedure reduces the time of portal clamping, an important factor of survival. This technique was found to be reliable with a 72.9% long-term survival (more than 60 days) in an experimental group of 59 iso- and allografts. The method was employed in 212 animals during studies on iso-, allo- and xenografts to evaluate the tolerance and rejection mechanisms in rats of pure strain.