Preparation of Thoracic and Intestinal Lymph Duct Shunts in Calves

The thoracic or intestinal lymph duct was successfully cannulated in 40 Holstein calves.To maintain body fluid balance, thoracic duct lymph was retui~ned directly to the thoracic duct or to the jugular vein.Both shunts remained patent up to 5 weeks, but the thoracic duct-duct shunts required less maintenance than the thoracic ductjugular vein shunts.Intestinal duct lymph was returned directly to the intestinal duct, to the jugular vein, or to the posterior vena cava.Intestinal duct-duct shunts were not satisfacttory because lymph flow was restricted by the poor aspiratory action of the return eannula.It was difficult to maintain the long length of tubing needed to connect the intestinal duct cannula to the jugular vein catheter in the intestinal duct-jugular vein shunts.The most satisfactory route for intestinal lymph return was via. the posterior vena cava because a minimum length of tubing was exteriorized, clotting in the venous end of the vena cava catheter was never a serious problem, and there was good aspiratory action in the vena cava catheter.Intestinal duct-vena cava shunts were maintained for up to 5 weeks.Preliminary results with one calf suggest the feasibility of establishing thoracic ductposterior vena cava shunts.