title: Successful transplantation of a 20% partial liver graft in rats: a technical innovation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Graft-size disparity negatively impacts the postoperative outcome in the setting of adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  As a model for partial liver transplantation in rats using a minimized graft volume, we orthotopically transplanted a 20% reduced-size liver with the two-cuff method. Blood chemistry, graft weight restoration, and labeling indices of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine were estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We achieved 100% 2-week survival. Hepatic mass was restored rapidly with early normalization of biochemical parameters, although albumin synthesis capacity required more time to recover.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This technique has great potential for research as well as a therapeutic approach to regeneration and functional recovery of small liver grafts under various posttransplant circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Innovative Surgery, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo 154-8567, Japan. htanaka-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashizume
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enosawa
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000502:physiology; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D019737:Transplants