Influence of dearterialization on distribution of absolute tumor blood flow between hepatic artery and portal vein.
BACKGROUND
Conflicting results have been obtained regarding blood flow distribution to liver tumors. The emphasis on portal vein perfusion has had a great impact on the design of treatment protocols.


METHODS
Double microsphere technique with reference organ sampling was used for the measurement of hepatic artery and portal vein blood flow of an implanted liver tumor in 42 rats after permanent dearterialization and repeated dearterialization (2 hours/day) compared with untreated sham-operated controls.


RESULTS
Portal venous blood flow constituted 16% of total tumor blood flow and slightly increased after permanent and repeat dearterializations, though the elevation was not statistically significant as compared with sham-treatment (P > 0.05). In another 3 groups, the treatment was extended to 10 days, and tumor blood flow was measured in central and peripheral parts separately. Arterial blood flow further decreased in tumor periphery and was still lower in the tumor center (P < 0.01 versus tumor periphery), and portal blood flow declined concomitantly to 4% of total tumor blood perfusion. However, no difference in portal blood flow between the tumor center and periphery could be demonstrated (P > 0.05). Furthermore, portal supply increased neither in tumor periphery nor in tumor center after both permanent and repeated dearterialization (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The authors' results showed that portal blood flow did contribute to tumor circulation, but made up only 16% of blood flow when tumors were small and declined to 4% of entire tumor blood supply when tumors became large. Portal perfusion also declined as tumors grew larger and did not compensate for the withdrawal of tumor arterial blood supply after dearterialization.
Wang
L Q
LQ
Department of Surgery, Lund University, Sweden.
Persson
B G
BG
Bergqvist
L
L
Bengmark
S
S
D000818:Animals; D002565:Cerium Radioisotopes; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D008026:Ligation; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011920:Rats, Inbred WF; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes
D002565:Cerium Radioisotopes; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes