Abstract
In 12 dogs allotransplantation of the left lung was carried out and postoperatively the pulmonary artery occlusion test (PA-occlusion test) was performed serially for the evaluation of the hemodynamic function of the transplanted lung. Six dogs survived 14 days and were sacrificed for macroscopic and microscopic investigations. The mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPA-P) after the occlusion of the right pulmonary artery elevated just after the left lung transplantation, over two times as compared with the control MPA-P.
On the postoperative second day the MPA-P decreased moderately and on the 7th day all PA pressures fell. On the 14th postoperative day the MPA-P after the occlusion of the opposite, unilateral pulmonary artery showed a gradient in 5 dogs in which the macroscopic formation of thrombus at pulmonary vein around the anastomosis or rejection were observed under light microscopy.
Therefore it was considered that in the successful allotransplantation without thrombosis and rejection the PA pressure shoud remain continuously at a low level for one week postoperatively. We would like to emphasize that the PA-occlusion test may be a good monitoring examination for the detection of operative defect or rejection after the transplantation.
