title: A half century (1961-2011) of applying microsurgery to experimental liver research.
abstract: The development of microsurgery has been dependent on experimental animals. Microsurgery could be a very valuable technique to improve experimental models of liver diseases. Microdissection and microsutures are the two main microsurgical techniques that can be considered for classifying the experimental models developed for liver research in the rat. Partial portal vein ligation, extrahepatic cholestasis and hepatectomies are all models based on microdissection. On the other hand, in portacaval shunts, orthotopic liver transplantation and partial heterotopic liver transplantation, the microsuture techniques stand out. By reducing surgical complications, these microsurgical techniques allow for improving the resulting experimental models. If good experimental models for liver research are successfully developed, the results obtained from their study might be particularly useful in patients with liver disease. Therefore experimental liver microsurgery could be an invaluable way to translate laboratory data on liver research into new clinical diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
authors.affiliation: Maria-Angeles Aller, Laureano Lorente, Jaime Arias, Surgery I Department, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria-Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aller
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agudo
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilsanz
authors.forename: Laureano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lorente
authors.forename: Jorge-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arias