Liver hemodynamic flow balance by image-directed Doppler ultrasound evaluation in normal subjects

✍ Scribed by Luigia Bombelli; Valerio Genitoni; Salvatore Biasi; Carlo Materazzo; Giuliano Bonfanti

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 519 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0091-2751
• DOI: 10.1002/jcu.1870190502

✦ Synopsis

Image-directed Doppler ultrasonography of main hepatic vessels (hepatic artery, portal vein, hepatic veins, and inferior vena cava (IVC)] was performed in 22 healthy volunteers, 20 years to 65 years of age. For each vessel an estimate was made of the diameter, velocity time interval (VTI), volume blood flow in relation to heart rate (stroke volume in L/min/beat), and body size (blood flow index in Llminim' body surface area). Moreover, a hemodynamic hepatic balance to define a range of values in normal population was described.The summation of flow of hepatic veins and IVC flow, just over renal veins, (= IVC subhepatic flow) was significantly correlated with the IVC flow rate before entrance into the atrium (R2 = 0.90). Hepatic artery flux plus portal vein flux plus subhepatic vein flux was also related to IVC flux before right atrium entrance (R2 = 0.92).

This study confirms the utility and efficiency of Doppler ultrasonography in understanding liver flow hemodynamic balance. Indexing Words: Hepatic flow balance -Pulsated Doppler * Flow analysis Several invasive and complex techniques have been used to directly evaluate vessel p a t e n ~y . l -~ Recently, image-directed Doppler ultrasonography has been employed to measure blood flow velocity, vascular cross-sectional area, and quantitative evaluation of intravascular f l o ~. ~-~ Portal vein flow, hepatic artery, and hepatic veins flow have been previously investigated both in healthy patient^^,'-^^ and in patients with liver d i s e a ~e s , ~~, ~~-~~ but no data, to our knowledge, are available concerning hepatic input-output flow balance for the porta hepatis, inferior vena cava, and hepatic veins.

The purpose of this study is to define, in a noninvasive way, the range of normal values for the hepatic blood flow balance with the aim of evaluating if this method would be a valid instrument for the detection of hemodynamic abnormalities in hepatic surgery.