ABSTRACT
Since Eck succeeded in establishing a portacaval shunt (PCS) in a dog in 1877, many publications have discussed the hemodynamic, metabolic, and physiological consequences of such a shunt. In our laboratory, the PCS by the button technique is frequently used for research into the mechanism of metabolic changes in the rat after portacaval shunt. Animals of higher body weight are usually older and less resistant, and the period during which the animal is available for a follow-up on the consequences of the PCS is shorter. The only important postoperative measures are cleaning of the cages three times a week and the supply of the animals with food and water in accordance with the experimental setup. Anesthesia, the opening of the abdomen, and the dissection of the vessels for the so-called suture technique. The vena cava is then ligated tangentially around the purse-string suture with the aid of a bulldog clamp so modified as to become a small Satinsky clip.
