Homotransplantation Of the Canine Liver

Abstract

IN 1956, Goodrich and associates¹ demonstrated that homotransplantation (allogeneic transplantation) of the canine liver was technically possible and that the graft functioned to some extent for as long as five days. Subsequently, there have been several studies^1-11 of liver homografts in the dog and in man and it has been shown that a hepatic homograft may function for five to ten days in the untreated dog and much longer in dogs receiving azathioprine (Imuran).^2,11 Several methods have been developed for implanting canine hepatic homografts in host animals. Some investigators have performed orthotopic homotransplantation^3,5,6,8,9 while others have left the recipient's liver in place and attached the transplanted liver heterotopically. Heterotopic grafts have been placed in the pelvis,^{1,2,4,7,10,11} in the space normally occupied by the spleen,² and in the left thoracic cavity.² The present experiments were performed to study the technical problems involved in heterotopic