Postprandial hyperemia is associated with a significant increase in portal pressure in cirrhosis, which may contribute to progressive dilation and rupture of gastroesophageal varices. In cirrhosis, an insufficient hepatic production of nitric oxide (NO) may impair the expected hepatic vasodilatory response to increased blood flow, further exaggerating the postprandial increase in portal pressur...

Introduction and Aim: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common complication of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS). It is associated with a reduced quality of life and poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to compare two groups of patients who did and did not develop overt HE after TIPS. We looked for differences between these groups before TIPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS A...

Octreotide has been proposed for the treatment of variceal bleeding. The effects on portal pressure, however, have been variable in published studies. As bleeding is more directly related to pressure in the varices, this study investigated the effect on variceal pressure of octreotide and terlipressin, a vasoactive drug with a well established effect. Variceal pressure was measured during four ...

Cardiac output (with cardiogreen dye dilution), heart rate, stroke volume, mean arterial pressure, and central venous pressure (SVC) were measured': I) following induction of anesthesia while the abdomen was being opened, 2) during mobilization of the recipient'S liver, 3) shortly following cross-clamping the inferior vena cava and portal vein (early anhepatic phase), 4) just prior to revascula...

In this educational presentation, we offer an overview of acquired anomalies of the portal venous system explored by biphasic helical CT and MRI. Portosystemic collateral vessels, cavernous transformation of the portal vein, intrahepatic vascular shunts, aneurysms of the portal venous system, thrombosis of the portal venous system, and gas in the portal venous system will be discussed. For live...

PURPOSE To assess induced oscillating volumetric strain as a biomarker for intrahepatic blood pressure abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS Harmonic vibrations of 25 and 50 Hz frequency were induced in the liver and measured by fast 3D vector field magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), followed by processing of the decomposed curl (shear) and divergence (compression) fields. After an initial...

Muñoz, Javier,Agustı́nAlbillos, Marı́a Pérez-Páramo, Irma Rossi, and Melchor Alvarez-Mon. Factors mediating the hemodynamic effects of tumor necrosis factor-a in portal hypertensive rats. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 39): G687–G693, 1999.—Nitric oxide, prostacyclin, and glucagon have been implicated in promoting the hyperdynamic circulatory state of portal hypertension. Recen...

Portal hypertension initiates a splenorenal reflex, whereby increases in splenic afferent nerve activity and renal sympathetic nerve activity cause a decrease in renal blood flow (RBF). We postulated that mesenteric vascular congestion similarly compromises renal function through an intestinal-renal reflex. The portal vein was partially occluded in anesthetized rats, either rostral or caudal to...

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma is likely to accompany liver cirrhosis in which the portal pressure increases with portasystemic shunt. When portal tumor thrombus is present in the primary bifurcation, blood flow differs between the thrombolic lobe and the non-thrombolic lobe. In those cases, it is difficult to evaluate exactly residual liver function by conventional test. Therefore, the fo...