SPONTANEOUS CLOSURE OF THE PORTACAVAL ANASTOMOSIS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL

THERE has been an interest in venous fistulas since 1877, when Eck1first suggested a technic for producing a portacaval anastomosis. Since that time many studies of the physiologic changes produced in animals by an Eck fistula have been reported. Blalock,2Blakemore3and Whipple4have reported that a side to side portacaval fistula without obstruction of the portal vein will close, but to date no specific report of experimental work has been found in the literature. A similar fistula will remain patent in the typical animal with an Eck fistula, in which the portal vein is occluded.5 A few clinical cases have been reported in which there were recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhages after the establishment of a portacaval fistula. It seems possible that this may be due to closure of the fistula in some instances. Many factors contribute to the maintenance of the patency of a