ABSTRACT
Clinical grafting of vascularized organs such as the heart, kidney, liver, and pancreas was only possible with the scientific background gained by animal experiments. The donor liver is taken out of the cold bath and placed orthotopically into the recipient. The operative procedure of orthotopic liver transplantation in the rat is described using either a regular sutureline technique or a cuff technique for vascular anastomoses. Anesthesia for recipients is maintained with oxygen-nitrous oxide mixtures and low doses of halothane in suitable flow rates. The animals were kept under standard conditions with water and pellet diet ad libitum before and after the operation. In the donor operation the donor common bile duct is freed from all surrounding tissue and a small incision is made approximately 4 mm distally of the confluence of the hepatic ducts. Common bile duct reconstruction has been checked in some animals performing either i.v. cholangiograms or direct cannulation of a lobular branch of the biliary tree.
