title: Preliminary study of chemical bile duct embolization to treat hepatolithiasis in rabbits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The high recurrence rate of hepatolithiasis is still a problem to be solved. The purpose of the present study was therefore to carry out a preliminary study of the practical value of chemical bile duct embolization (CBDE) to treat hepatolithiasis in rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chemical bile duct embolization was performed with phenol or absolute ethanol along with N-butyl-cyanoacrylate. The feasibility and effectiveness of CBDE for chemical hepatectomy was assessed by investigating histological changes, biochemistry for hydroxyproline and in situ hybridization for collagen I.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histologically, the mucosal epithelia of the embolized bile ducts were entirely replaced by collagen fibers, thus effectively eradicating chronic proliferative cholangitis. Also of note, the diseased biliary duct lumens were completely filled with N-butyl-cyanoacrylate, thus effectively preventing calculus formation. The hepatocytes also disappeared completely in the periphery of the embolized lobe, demonstrating that the desired effects of chemical hepatectomy were achieved through CBDE. In a further comparison of embolizing agents, the phenol-cyanoacrylate embolized livers and bile ducts had a higher level of hydroxyproline and collagen I than those embolized with ethanol plus cyanoacrylate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chemical bile duct embolization is a promising approach to prevent the recurrence of hepatolithiasis and to achieve the effect of chemical hepatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Transplantation Engineering and Immunology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. lfy_74@vip.163.com
authors.forename: Fu Yu
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing Qiu
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Nan Sheng
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Jia Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000473:pathology; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000235:genetics; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000032:analysis; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019800:Phenol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D024042:Collagen Type I; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019800:Phenol; D000431:Ethanol; D006909:Hydroxyproline