Exchange transplantation of the liver in the pig.

An original technique is described for exchange transplantation of the liver in the pig. The procedure also allows a complete autograft to be performed with the same operative trauma as a transplant. The initial problems that were encountered, but overcome in both autografts and transplants, included difficulty with adequate perfusion of the liver in the live animals, gas gangrene resulting from hepatic arterial thrombosis in animals under 22 kg, and fear of devascularisation of the pancreas or stomach during dissection. In this series, six successful pairs of pigs were transplanted and, in three pairs, one animal showed severe rejection and early death while the other lived longer with a different response. The technique has significant immunological and economical potential.