title: Effects of vasopressin on left gastric venous flow in cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices.
abstract: To assess vasopressin control of esophageal variceal bleeding, we investigated the effect of vasopressin on the left gastric venous flow, portal venous flow, superior mesenteric venous flow, and splenic venous flow in seven cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices, using a duplex system consisting of a real-time ultrasonograph and an echo-Doppler flowmeter. Infusion of vasopressin (0.3 U/min) significantly decreased the blood flow in the left gastric vein (-56%), portal trunk (-54%), superior mesenteric vein (-54%), and splenic vein (-56%) as a result of decrease of blood velocity in these vessels. Thus, vasopressin seems to control esophageal variceal bleeding, in part, by reducing blood velocity and blood flow in the left gastric vein following reduction of blood velocity and blood flow in the superior mesenteric vein and splenic vein.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008642:Mesenteric Veins / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000187:drug effects; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D013162:Splenic Vein / Q000187:drug effects; D013270:Stomach / Q000098:blood supply*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014667:Vasopressins