[Surgical techniques and perioperative management for improving the success rate of orthotopic liver transplantation in rats].

Objective: To investigate the surgical techniques and appropriate perioperative management for ensuring successful orthotopic liver transplantation (ROLT) in rats.
Methods: Based on the double-cuff technique of Kamada, we modified the surgical techniques of separation, perfusion and cold preservation of the donor liver, shearing and anastomosis of the suprahepatic vena cava with optimized postoperative infusion protocols and animal care.
Results: Two hundred and seventy rats underwent ROLT and a learning curve of the success rate was built to reflect the improvement of techniques. The learning curve showed steep improvements over the exploration stage, breakthrough stage and maturation stage, and the success rates increased sharply over time (0%, 71.1%, and 94.5%, respectively) until finally reaching over 90%. The shearing and anastomosis of the suprahepatic vena cava remained the most critical and difficult techniques in ROLT modeling.
Conclusion: Proficient microsurgical techniques and meticulous nursing can reduce postoperative complications, enhance operational success rate and extend the survival time after ROLT.