Experimental left gastric vein diversion.

Six years' laboratory work resulted in devising a satisfactory experimental technique of direct left gastric-left renal diversion for esophagogastric venous decompression. The procedure was accomplished by interposing an autogenous vein graft between the distal transected left gastric and left renal veins, employing mechanical stapling for the venous anastomoses. A refined technique of left gastric caval diversion provided uniform late patency in a suitable animal model.