RÉSUMÉ
BACKGROUND: The rat is generally accepted as an ideal experimental animal. A limitation of rat surgery is the need for microsurgical techniques. Especially, the bile duct of a rat is so slender that it is almost impossible to perform primary microsuture anastomosis of the bile duct. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of various bile-duct surgical procedures after temporary ligation, a method which dilates the bile duct without permanent obstruction. METHODS: Temporary ligation of the bile duct with 6-0 chromic cat-gut sutures makes it constantly dilated. Twenty-five ligated rats were divided into three experimental groups: primary end-to-end anastomosis (PA), Roux-en-Y choledochoenterostomy in auxiliary liver transplantation (LT), and sham operation (C). RESULTS: After surgery, the serum levels of glutamate oxalacetic transferase (GOT) were normalized at 5 days in the PA and the C groups, and within 10 days in the LT group. Serum bilirubin and gamma-GTP were not elevated in the three groups. Morhologic examinations of the anastomotic sites in the PA and LT groups at two weeks after surgery showed them to be well healed with good anastomotic patency. CONCLUSIONS: A bile duct dilated by temporal ligation is of great use without high magnification in various bile-duct surgical procedures.