title: Effect of meal induced splanchnic arterial vasodilatation on renal arterial haemodynamics in normal subjects and patients with cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relation between changes in splanchnic arterial haemodynamics and renal arterial haemodynamics in controls and patients with cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Superior mesenteric artery pulsatility index (SMA-PI) and renal artery pulsatility index (R-PI) were measured using Doppler ultrasonography in 24 controls and 36 patients with cirrhosis. These measurements were repeated 30 minutes after ingestion of a liquid meal or placebo. Sixteen controls and 24 patients received the meal, and eight controls and 12 patients received placebo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the fasting condition, patients with cirrhosis had a lower SMA-PI (p<0.01) and a greater R-PI (p<0.01) compared with controls. Placebo ingestion had no effect on splanchnic and renal haemodynamics. In contrast, ingestion of the meal caused a notable reduction in SMA-PI (p<0.01, p<0.01) and an increase in R-PI (p<0.01, p<0.01) in controls and patients with cirrhosis. The meal induced haemodynamic change in SMA-PI was inversely correlated with that in R-PI in controls (t=-0.42, p<0.05) and in patients with cirrhosis (t=-0.29, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results support the hypothesis that renal arterial vasoconstriction seen in patients with cirrhosis is one of the kidney's homoeostatic responses to underfilling of the splanchnic arterial circulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine II, Kurume University Hospital, 67 Asahi, Kurume 830, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwao
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oho
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamawaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toyonaga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanikawa
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D013152:Splanchnic Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology