THE EFFECT OF MECHANICAL CONSTRICTION OF THE HEPATIC VEINS

In 1925, in the laboratory of the department of pathology of the Northwestern University Medical School, a method was devised for blocking the outflow of blood from the liver by mechanical constriction of the hepatic veins in the dog.1This procedure permits a temporary exclusion of the liver and splanchnic area from the general circulation and their return to it at will, and makes possible a study of some of the functions of the liver. It has advantages over the more drastic methods formerly employed of removing the liver entirely,2or permanently shutting it out of the circulation by an Eck fistula.3The trauma produced by mechanical constriction of the hepatic veins is less severe. It is, however, an acute experiment. It must be done under a general anesthetic, and observations must be made at short intervals during constriction, lasting from ten to forty-five minutes—that is, before the effects of