title: [Hepatic resection in the fetal rabbit. Histologic comparison of tissue regeneration in the fetus versus the adult].
abstract: Fetal tissues present peculiar features of repair after injury. Although the development of fetal hepatocytes have already been studied in vitro and in transplant models, an in vivo study of fetal liver regeneration is still missed in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. Eight time-dated pregnant California rabbits (23, 24, 25, 30 days of gestational age) and 2 adult male California rabbits were anesthetized following a standardized i.v. protocol (ketamine 50 mg/kg; xilazine 5 mg/kg; propiopromazine 0.75 mg/kg; spontaneous breathing; no anesthetic gas). All the pregnant does underwent a midline laparotomy and a minimal hysterotomy to approach a fetus per each animal. In 2 cases, 1 fetus was delivered and prior to sacrifice the fetal liver was sampled in toto (30 days of gestational age). These pregnancies were allowed to continue to term and were uneventful with a full-term spontaneous delivery of the remaining fetuses. In the other 6 pregnancies, after the hysterotomy, the fetal abdomen was entered through a right-sided longitudinal incision and the liver was partially resected by thermocauterization. Fetal abdomen was closed in 1 layer (non absorbable suture 7-0). The fetus was then returned in the uterus and, after amniotic fluid restoration with warmed saline, the hysterotomy was sutured in double layer (polyglycolic 5-0). Maternal abdomen was closed in 1 layer (polyglycolic 4-0) and the skin in a continuous overlying fashion (silk 3-0). The abdominal cavity of the 2 adult male rabbits was entered through a right subcostal incision. Partial liver resection was performed, and abdominal and skin closure followed the same techniques used for the pregnant does. The treated livers were then sampled in toto at 24, 48, 72 hrs and 4 days after surgery from the fetuses, and at 7 days from the adult rabbits. Histological stains were: H & E; Van Gieson; Masson; Alcian Bleu; PAS. Fetal histology showed a low inflammatory reaction poor in PMN cells with minimal deposition of collagen and a high amount of glycogen in the hepatocytes. The inflammatory response to resection was much more evident in the adult samples as much as the abundant intra and extra-cellular deposition of collagen associated to a minor amount of intracellular glycogen. The peculiar features of liver regeneration in the fetus, deserve further experimental studies.
authors.affiliation: Divisione Chirurgia Pediatrica-Chirurgia, Digestiva, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu, Roma.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patricolo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paolocci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zangari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antonica
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Magni
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Viola-Magni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caione
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lais
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivosecchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
vernacular_title: Resezione epatica fetale nel coniglio. Confronto istologico della rigenerazione tissutale del feto e dell'adulto.