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A scanning electron microscopic study of postnatal development of rat peribiliary plexus

Hepatic microcirculation in the developing stages is not fully clarified. This study aimed at clarifying the development of hepatic microcirculation, especially peribiliary vascular plexuses, in neonatal rats by corrosion cast procedures and scanning electron microscopy. Peribiliary vascular plexuses of large bile ducts at the hilus of 1‐day‐old rats showed a simple capillary network that directly poured into the portal vein. The hepatic artery promptly tapered down into many small branches and ended in sinusoids or capillary plexuses around portal vein branches near the hilus. Neither apparent hepatic artery branches nor peribiliary vascular plexuses were found in the peripheral areas of the liver. On the seventh day, very loose peribiliary vascular plexuses and small hepatic artery branches appeared up to the peripheral portal tracts, and the peribiliary vascular plexuses of large bile ducts were still capillary networks. After the seventh day, peribiliary vascular plexuses of large and medium‐sized portal tracts often poured into side branches of the portal vein rather than directly into the portal vein as shown in the rats from the first day mentioned above. Peribiliary vascular plexuses of the large bile duct in 2‐week‐old rats showed a double layer, that is, an outer layer composed of arteries and veins and an inner layer of capillary vessels, that resembled peribiliary vascular plexuses of adult livers. After nearly 4 wk, hepatic microcirculations had almost fully developed into those of adult rats. It was concluded that the gradual postnatal development of the hepatic arterial system and the peribiliary vascular plexuses occurred in parallel with the maturation of the intrahepatic biliary trees. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;14:1196–1200.)