Case-control study of calcification of the hepatic artery in chronic hemodialysis patients: comparison with the abdominal aorta and splenic artery.
OBJECTIVE
Studies of the hepatic artery are scarce. We have observed that hepatic artery calcification is very uncommon in patients with hyperparathyroidism that expedites calcification.


METHODS
Plain abdominal CT was studied in 221 patients on chronic hemodialysis. Control consisted of 442 sex- and age-matched patients with other diseases. Calcification was graded as a percentage of the entire wall circumference for the aorta, and as a percentage of the entire length of the hepatic and splenic arteries from the celiac trunk to the hilum of each organ.


RESULTS
Aortic calcification was seen in 79.2% of male dialysis patients, 22.1% of controls, 74.1% of female dialysis patients and 17.3% of controls (P < 0.0001). Hepatic artery calcification was seen in only 13 dialysis patients. The degree of calcification of the abdominal aorta was correlated with the length of hemodialysis period (P = 0.008), but not with serum calcium, serum phosphate or their product. Although serum parathormone levels were not correlated with calcification, seven of eight dialysis patients with hepatic artery calcification had very high parathormone levels.


CONCLUSIONS
The hepatic artery is far less frequently calcified than are the abdominal aorta and splenic artery. This may be a teleologic phenomenon of the liver.
Okuda
Kunio
K
First Department of Medicine, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan. Okuda@med.m.chiba-u.ac.jp
Kobayashi
Susumu
S
Hayashi
Haruyuki
H
Ohtake
Hiromichi
H
Nakajima
Yoshio
Y
Yoshida
Kazuaki
K
Kashima
Hiromichi
H
Irie
Yasubumi
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D013157:Splenic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology