Impact of Liver Sympathetic Nervous System on Liver Fibrosis and Regeneration After Bile Duct Ligation in Rats.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) affects many functions of the body. SNS fibers regulate many aspects of liver function, repair, and regeneration. However, in the model of bile duct ligation (BDL) in rats, the kind of impact caused by the regulation of liver SNS on liver fibrosis and liver regeneration is unclear. The main research objective of this experiment is to examine the effect of SNS on liver fibrosis and liver regeneration. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned randomly to four groups. These groups included the sham surgery group (sham), model group (BDL), 6-hydroxydopamine group (BDL+6-OHDA), and spinal cord injury group (BDL+SCI). In the sham group, only exploratory laparotomy was performed without BDL. In the 6-OHDA group, 6-OHDA was used to remove sympathetic nerves after BDL. In the spinal cord injury group, rats underwent simultaneous BDL and spinal cord injury. After 3 weeks of feeding, four groups of rats were euthanized using high-dose anesthesia without pain. Moreover, liver tissue and blood were taken to detect liver fibrosis and regeneration indicators. After intraperitoneal injection of 6-OHDA into BDL rats, liver fibrosis indicators decreased. The administration of the injection effectively alleviated liver fibrosis and inhibited liver regeneration. However, after SCI surgery in BDL rats, liver fibrosis indicators increased. This resulted in exacerbating liver fibrosis and activating liver regeneration. The SNS plays a role in contributing to the liver injury process in the rat BDL model. Therefore, regulating the SNS may become a novel method for liver injury treatment.

Intrahepatic Venous Collateral Circulation and Reverse Blood Flow After Main Hepatic Vein Obstruction: A Case Report with Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Alveolar echinococcosis, a lethal parasitic disease, can invade important vessels in the liver. A liver vascular anomaly causes compensatory changes in other blood vessels connected to it because of the close relationship between them. Obstruction of the retrohepatic inferior vena cava and the second hilum can form the intrahepatic venous network and the vertebral venous plexus pathway, which can be demonstrated by hepatic venography and anatomical and autopsy studies. CASE REPORT A Tibetan woman, age 31, with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and unique intrahepatic hemodynamic features, was referred to our center and underwent successful ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation. We report our experience and review the literature. In this clinical case, we performed an ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation without hepatic inferior vena cava reconstruction. After surgery, the circulatory system hemodynamic remained stable, and blood flow in the liver and trunk was unhindered. The patient underwent an uneventful hospitalization and recovery. CONCLUSIONS This clinical case demonstrates the unique venous access, hemodynamic alterations, and surgical decision-making that follow the invasion of significant hepatic vessels by alveolar echinococcosis lesions. HAE exhibits unique collateral vessels, which are uncommon in other diseases. Additionally, this kind of therapy offers fresh perspectives for the surgical treatment of end-stage HAE.