VASCULAR RESPONSES IN MAN TO LIGATION OF THE INFERIOR VENA CAVA

Abstract

LIGATION of the inferior vena cava for phlebothrombosis and thrombophlebitis is not a new therapeutic procedure. The first ligation was performed by Kocher in 1883 and the second two years later by Billroth.¹There have been few papers²on the subject until recently. Since publication of the article by Collins and others,³however, there have been a considerable number of reports.⁴ This procedure would seem drastic to most clinicians. Nevertheless, it has been used without apparent serious disturbances clinically. Since ligation of the inferior vena cava is being performed in greater numbers, it is imperative that certain physiologic observations be made to evaluate the circulatory adjustments. There have been fairly extensive observations on experimental animals⁵but relatively few in man. In fact, there has been only one preliminary report⁶devoted to the study of vascular responses to, ligation of the inferior vena cava. It is the