title: Increased blood flow in the stomach of cirrhotic patients as assessed by radionuclide angiography.
abstract: To assess the gastric hemodynamics of patients with cirrhosis of the liver, radionuclide angiography of the left gastric artery, using technetium-99m-labeled human serum albumin (99mTc-HSA), was performed in 13 cirrhotics and 4 control subjects. The half-life (T1/2) of radioactivity of the stomach was significantly shorter in cirrhotics than in controls, 7.1 +/- 2.2 s (+/- SD, n = 13) and 14.1 +/- 3.4 s (+/- SD, n = 4), respectively (p less than 0.001). Accordingly, the calculated blood flow per unit plasma volume of the stomach of cirrhotics was significantly increased compared with that of controls, 6.4 +/- 1.9 ml/min (+/- SD, n = 13) and 3.1 +/- 0.8 ml/min (+/- SD, n = 4), respectively (p less than 0.01). These results provide direct evidence that a hyperdynamic state exists in the gastric circulation of cirrhotic patients.
mesh_terms: D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013270:Stomach / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging