[An experimental study on a new technique of regional liver hyperthermia using femoro-hepatic arterial thermal bypass].

This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of a new method using the femoro-hepatic arterial (FA-HA) thermal bypass for regional liver hyperthermia. Using mongrel dogs (n = 8), a 12 Fr catheter was introduced into the abdominal aorta through the right femoral artery. A hepatic arterial catheter (8 Fr) was placed through the gastroduodenal artery. These catheters were connected to a system containing a centrifugal pump and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger consists of warmer coils and a water bath kept at a temperature of 47 degrees C. The bypass was run at an average blood flow rate of 153 +/- 33 (mean +/- SD) ml/min. The temperature was continuously monitored at four measuring points, including the water bath, the inflow blood, the liver parenchyma and the rectal cavity. The temperature of the liver parenchyma promptly reached 40.0 +/- 1.7 degrees C as early as 5 minutes and reached its highest value of 42.8 +/- 0.8 degrees C 30 minutes after the start of hyperthermia. The rectal temperature was 39.3 +/- 1.2 degrees C at 30 minutes. The temperature of the liver parenchyma (38.1 +/- 1.4 degrees C) became similar to that of the rectum (38.1 +/- 1.3 degrees C) 30 minutes after the end of hyperthermia. These results indicate that the FA-HA thermal bypass is a simple and highly effective method for the performance of regional liver hyperthermia.