Effects of diffuse fatty infiltration of the liver on portal vein flow hemodynamics

✍ Scribed by Ali Balci; Sinem Karazincir; Haldun Sumbas; Yasemin Oter; Ertugrul Egilmez; Tacettin Inandi

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 168 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0091-2751
• DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20440

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of various degrees of diffuse fatty infiltration of the liver on portal vein blood flow with Doppler sonography.

Methods

One hundred forty subjects were examined with color and spectral Doppler sonography. The subjects were divided into 4 groups of 35 subjects each according to the degree (normal, grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3) of hepatic fatty infiltration assessed on gray‐scale images. The portal vein pulsatility index (VPI) and time‐averaged mean flow velocity (MFV) were calculated for each subject. VPI was calculated as (peak maximum velocity − peak minimum velocity) / peak maximum velocity.

Results

VPI and MFV values were, respectively, 0.32 ± 0.06 and 16.8 ± 2.6 cm/second in the normal group, 0.27 ± 0.07 and 14.2 ± 2.2 cm/second in the group with grade 1 fatty infiltration, 0.22 ± 0.06 and 12.2 ± 1.8 cm/second in the group with grade 2 fatty infiltration, and 0.18 ± 0.04 and 10.8 ± 1.5 cm/second in the group with grade 3 fatty infiltration. There was a negative inverse correlation between the grade of fatty infiltration and both VPI (f = 55.3, p < 0.001) and MFV (f = 43.9, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The pulsatility index and mean velocity of the portal vein blood flow decrease as the severity of fatty infiltration increases. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2008.