[Modified technique for chronic tricuspid regurgitation in rabbits and evaluation of intestinal malabsorption in the chronic stage of this model].
One of pathophysiological processes in cardiac cachexia with severe congestive cardiac failure is malabsorption in the intestine. This malabsorption might be caused by high venous pressure in the intestine, following congestive liver due to congestive cardiac failure. However, this has not been proved experimentally yet. In this experiment, rabbits were utilized because their body weights are relatively equal and their life cycle is shorter than that of dogs, for which experimental procedure has been established. Our purpose was first, to establish the technique which can produce tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in rabbits, and secondly, to examine the degree of malabsorption in these animals in the chronic stage of TR.


METHODS
The TR rabbits (n = 4) were provided by means of division of the chordae of the tricuspid valve through the 4th intercostal space in the right thoracotomy. Division of the chordae was performed through the right atrial incision under direct vision while employing total temporary inflow occlusion. The duration of inflow occlusion varied from one to two minutes.


RESULTS
The mean of the peak right atrial pressure before the procedure was 6.5 mmHg, that just after the procedure was 16.1 mmHg, and that two to four months after the procedure was 17.0 mmHg. The peak right atrial pressure just after the procedure were higher than those before the procedure, and the peak right atrial pressure two to four months after the procedure were also higher than those before the procedure in all rabbits.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Yamada
T
T
First Department of Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Hirose
H
H
Umeda
S
S
Murakawa
S
S
Mori
Y
Y
Hashimoto
M
M
D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology