A microsurgical method for denervation of the liver in the rat.

The role of the nerves in the hepato-duodenal ligament should be of special surgical interest, since these nerves are often injured in hepatic and biliary tract surgery. We have developed a microsurgical procedure for liver denervation. All visible nerves were resected after staining. Norepinephrine values in central liver tissue of denervated rats were only 18% of the corresponding values in innervated liver tissue, indicating an appreciable degree of sympathetic denervation. No detectable immunoreactivity of gastrin, cholecystokinin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, substance P, somatostatin or enkephalin were found within resected hepatic nerves. The described denervation procedure is simple and reproducible. It can be used to obtain additional information about the nervous regulation of various liver functions.