Arterialization of the liver. II. Systemic pressure gradients in rats following variously sized arteriovenous fistulae.

Abstract

Four groups (I, II, III, and IV) of six Wistar rats each were studied to elucidate the blood pressure changes following creation of arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) of diameters 1, 2, and 3 mm (groups II, III, and IV, respectively). Group I comprised normal rats with no AVF. Blood pressures were recorded in the carotid and femoral arteries, the femoral and portal veins, the right atrium, and the inferior vena cava (IVC) at renal vein (RV) and common iliac vein (CIV) levels. We found that AVF size did not disturb baseline carotid arterial or portal venous pressures (P greater than 0.01), but the femoral arterial pressures fell increasingly (P less than 0.01). On the other hand, right atrial pressure and that of IVC at RV and CIV levels rose substantially with increasing diameters of AVF (P less than 0.01). It was concluded that an AVF of 1 mm diameter least upset the normal blood pressures in the vessels examined.