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Botany JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Technique of Porcine Liver Procurement and Orthotopic Transplantation using an Active Porto-Caval Shunt

DOI: 10.3791/52055-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Perform porcine recipient hepatectomy with vascular control
  • ✓ Reconstruct hepatic vessels using porto-caval-jugular shunt
  • ✓ Execute orthotopic liver transplantation in swine model
  • ✓ Manage intraoperative bleeding and hemodynamic stability
Protocol

Biopharma Insights Experimental animal research plays a pivotal role in the development of clinical transplantation practice. The porcine orthotopic liver transplantation model (OLTx) closely resembles human conditions and is frequently used in clinically oriented research. The following protocol contains all information for a reliable porcine OLTx model using an active porto-caval-jugular shunt.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~4–6 hours per animal
Model organism
Pig (Sus scrofa)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Perform recipient hepatectomy with vascular isolation

Expose the liver, identify and isolate the hepatic artery, portal vein, and infrahepatic vena cava. Establish vascular control with clamps or tourniquet, then resect the diseased liver while maintaining hemodynamic stability.

▶ 01:33
2
Reconstruct hepatic vessels and establish shunt

Anastomose the donor liver hilum vessels to the recipient's hepatic vasculature. Establish active porto-caval-jugular shunt to decompress the portal system and prevent congestion during implantation.

▶ 06:28
3
Assess transplant viability and hemostasis

Evaluate graft perfusion, color, and function post-reperfusion. Ensure complete hemostasis, check for bleeding at anastomotic sites, and confirm proper shunt function.

▶ 10:29
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