[Early jaundice after orthotopic liver transplantation. The role of ischaemia (author's transl)].

The purpose of this experimental study was to identify the cause of early cholestatic jaundice occurring after orthotopic liver transplantation. The role of ischaemia was investigated in dogs undergoing auto-transplantation of the liver preserved for two hours. The animals developed early cholestasis with lesions that were markedly different from the graft-rejection lesions observed in a control group, being restricted to the cells and canaliculi of the central lobular area. The results of this work have made it possible to avoid overdosage with immunosuppressive drugs in a patient who had recently undergone orthotopic liver transplantation.