Total and functional hepatic blood flow decrease in parallel with ageing.

OBJECTIVES To study changes in hepatic blood flow with age. DESIGN Functional hepatic flow (FHF) and total hepatic flow (THF) were determined by non-invasive methods in 40 normal subjects in four age groups (<45, 45-60, 61-75 and >75 years). All subjects had normal routine liver function tests and no history of liver disease. RESULTS THF was measured by pulsed echo-Doppler, as the sum of portal and hepatic artery blood flow; FHF was measured by the hepatic clearance of D-sorbitol. THF significantly decreased with age, particularly in subjects over 75 (from 1445+/-220 ml/min to 1020+/-148; P<0.001), and a similar reduction was observed in FHF (from 1514+/-250 ml/min to 1015+/-163; P<0.001). THF and FHF were strictly correlated in the whole population (r = 0.871; P<0.001) and both correlated with age (r = -0.510 and r = -0.596; P<0.005). CONCLUSION With ageing there is a reduction of hepatic blood flow without any additional intrahepatic shunting.