Hemophilia in Cats After Denervation of the Liver.

Abstract

This is to report the occurrence of a phenomenon, resembling hemophilia in cats that have survived an operation in which everything in the hepatic pedicle except the bile duct, hepatic artery and portal vein, is cut. This is spoken of here as “denervation,” because the operation was undertaken in connection with some other work in which the function of the hepatic nerves was being investigated. It may be, however, that the severance of the lymphatics from the liver, or some other as yet unsuspected result of the operation, is of more importance in this connection than the cutting of the nerves. But, whatever may ultimately prove to be the real cause of the condition, it has been observed in eight cats that the operation is followed by marked change in the coagulability of the blood. Two of the eight cats died after two and three days of continuous bleeding from a needle prick in an ear vein; a third cat had the bleeding from a similar wound stopped only by the local application of cephalin after the cat had been bleeding for two days. This phenomenon occurred in these cats 4 to 6 weeks after the operation, when they had regained their original weight and were apparently in good condition. In the remaining 5 cats the condition was not as severe, but with them it was often difficult to determine the clotting time of the blood because only a thin clot would be formed. We are of the opinion, however, that the clotting time is practically normal, although the amount of fibrin formed is decidedly less than normal. Unfortunately, there has been no time for further analysis and this preliminary report is made because of the interest of this condition in connection with the problem of hemophilia.