We developed a rabbit model of fulminant hepatic failure by way of a two-staged total liver devascularisation procedure. For the first-stage procedure (portosystemic shunting), the clinical, biochemical and electro-encephalographic courses in 6 rabbits (group I) with an end-to-side portacaval shunt (ETS-PCS), 6 rabbits (group II) with a small-diameter side-to-side portacaval shunt (STS-PCS) and 6 rabbits (group III)with the same STS-PCS and 48 h of pretreatment with oxytetracycline were investigated and compared to 6 sham rabbits (group IV). The limited survival, the fall in clotting factors and the rapid development of hyperammonaemia with encephalopathy within 48 h in group I point to ETS-PCS-associated ischaemic liver necrosis. Group II showed improved survival, but was associated with portosystemic encephalopathy. Rabbits in group III survived portosystemic surgery without development of marked encephalopathy. In all animals of group III, the second-stage procedure (tightening of the loose ligature around the afferent hepatic vessels) could be performed, and a suitable model of fulminant hepatic failure was obtained.
SUMMARY In portal hypertension, three types of cutaneous portosystemic collaterals may develop: the 'classical' caput Medusae, enterostomal varices and scar or adhesion-related abdominal collaterals. Two patients were treated with severe and recurrent bleeding from adhesion-related collaterals, a complication not reported previously. In the first patient bleeding was only controlled by mesocaval shunt operation; the second patient suffered no further recurrence after local sclerotherapy.Portal hypertension is characterised by the development of splanchnic systemic venous connections that decompress the portal venous system. Although this is a protective adaptation, several pathological conditions, such as hepatic encephalopathy and pulmonary hypertension,' can be associated with the collateral blood flow. The most important is gastrointestinal haemorrhage, usually from oesophagogastric varices but occasionally from varices elsewhere in the intestinal or biliary tract.2 Moreover, intra-abdominal bleeding from peritoneal varices,3 external bleeding from stomal varices,4 and genitourinary variceal bleeding2 may occur. We report on two patients with severe and recurrent bleeding from cutaneous, scar related collaterals that developed after abdominal surgery. This is a complication which, to our knowledge, has not been previously described in the literature.PATIENT 1 A 48 year old man with biopsy diagnosed alcoholic cirrhosis was admitted with bleeding from the abdominal wall which started as a result of scratching. Four years previously a sigmoid resection with construction of a stoma of the transverse colon was carried out because of perforation of the sigmoid
265Summary A technique for endotracheal intubation in rabbits, which eliminates the need for tracheostomies, special devices, laryngoscopes and guide wires, is described. Inhalation anaesthesia with controlled ventilation for major surgical procedures in rabbits is easier to perform than previous reports in the literature suggest.
Keywords: Intubation, endotracheal; Anaesthesia; RabbitsThe use of rabbits for major experimental surgical procedures is not widespread, partly because of difficulties in establishing inhalation anaesthesia with controlled ventilation. The small glottis and the larynx hidden behind the tongue are major obstacles for rapid intubation (Murdock, 1969). Special techniques and devices are often used for intubation of rabbits; some workers have even resorted to tracheotomy.In studies on hepatic encephalopathy we produced fulminant hepatic failure in the rabbit by a two-stage surgical devascularization procedure in which we developed a simple technique for endotracheal intubation in rabbits.
Materials and methodsWe used female New Zealand White rabbits weighing 2·3-2·8 kg. After atropine at 0·05 mg/kg intramuscularly, anaesthesia was induced with Hypnorm (10 mg/ml fluanisone and 0·2 mg/ml fentanyl base) at 0·5 mVkg intramuscularly.The rabbit was placed in the prone position
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.