title: Hepatic arterial resistive indices: correlation with the severity of cirrhosis.
abstract: Forty-three patients who were scheduled to undergo a percutaneous liver biopsy were evaluated with Doppler sonography to determine the hepatic arterial resistive index (RI). The histologic specimens were graded by a pathologist regarding cirrhosis and inflammation. The specimens demonstrated no cirrhosis in 12 of 43 (28%) patients, early cirrhosis in 10 of 43 (23%), and established cirrhosis in 21 of 43 (49%). Analysis also revealed that inflammation was absent in three of 43 (7%) patients, minimal in seven of 43 (16%), mild in 17 of 43 (40%), moderate in 13 of 43 (30%), and severe in three of 43 (7%). Hepatic artery RIs (without correction for heart rate) ranged from 0.64 +/- 0.06 in patients with early cirrhosis to 0.68 +/- 0.09 in patients with severe inflammation. There was no significant correlation between the degree of cirrhosis and/or inflammation and hepatic artery RI (with or without correction for heart rate). We conclude that Doppler determination of hepatic artery RIs is not a reliable method of predicting the severity of hepatic cirrhosis and/or inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Vassiliades
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Ostrow
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chezmar
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Hertzler
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014655:Vascular Resistance