An Assessment of Liver Viability Using Laser-Doppler Velocimeter with Semiconductor Laser

Tomoyoshi Okamoto, Yoshinori Inagaki, Yutaka Shiino, Junta Nakamura, Yuichi Nakasato, Katsuhide Sano, Akira Yanagisawa, Teruaki Aoki

Department of Surgery (II), The Jikei University School of Medicine

Hepatic microcirculatory flow (HMF) was measured by laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) with a semi-conductor laser using an ischemic model in the dog, and the usefulness of this method was evaluated by assessing liver viability from the standpoint of energy metabolism. The mechanism of ulinastatin's effect was also investigated using LDV. Clamping of the hepatic artery and portal vein was regarded as hepatic ischemia. Animals were divided to 3 groups as follows. The first was a group of 60 minutes' ischemia (A), the second, 90 minutes' ischemia (B), and the last, 90 minutes' ischemia + administration of ulinastatin (C). HMF, energy charge (EC) and arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR) were measured before and after ischemia, and the survival rates and histological findings were compared between the groups. Comparisons between A and B, and B and C, showed that HMF, which was expressed as a relatively changed rate (%F), was linearly related to energy charge and %F at 30 minutes after reperfusion was predictive of survival outcome. The main action of ulinastatin's protective effect against liver damage was thought to be that of maintaining the microcirculation. The LDV with semiconductor laser was useful in monitoring liver viability, and this procedure is expected to be used in understanding the pathogenesis of liver damage.

Key words
laser Doppler velocimeter, microcirculation of liver, ischemic damage of liver in dogs

Reprint requests
Tomoyoshi Okamoto Department of Surgery (II), the Jikei University School of Medicine
3-25-8 Nishishinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105 JAPAN

Accepted
January 11, 1995

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