Technical aspects of catheter-related interventions in the liver of the rabbit

Purpose: on the basis of 89 different vascular interventions performed in the livers of 39 rabbits, we attempted to establish the feasibility and technical limitations of these procedures. Material and Methods: Forty-five selective hepatic artery catheterizations were carried out using 0.66-mm and 1.0-mm catheters, including superselective proper hepatic catheterizations (n=14) using a specially designed 0.66-mm introducer/catheter system. the portal system was investigated with both direct (n=5) and indirect (arterial) (n=4) portography. Hepatic vein catheterizations were performed in 22 cases. Results: with the 0.66-mm system, spasm occurred in one of 11 cases in the proper hepatic artery, and no spasm was observed in the common hepatic and celiac arteries. Both arterial portography and hepatic venography were easily performed and were a precise and repeatable method. Conclusion: the 0.66-mm system has proved to be advantageous over the 1.0-mm catheterization in avoiding arterial spasm. Direct portography as well as catheterization of the hepatic vein from a jugular approach are hazardous, leading to serious complications including the death of the animal.