title: Pre- and postprandial alterations of portal venous flow: evaluation with single breath-hold three-dimensional half-Fourier fast spin-echo MR imaging and a selective inversion recovery tagging pulse.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the influence of food intake on portal flow using unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 29 healthy subjects. A selective inversion recovery tagging pulse was used on the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and splenic vein (SpV) to study the correlation of tagged blood in the portal vein (PV). MRI was performed before and 60-90 min after a meal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The flow signal from the SMV increased in 97% of the subjects after the meal. Before the meal the portal flow was dominated by flow from the SpV in 59% of the subjects, while it was dominated by flow from the SMV in 76% of the subjects after the meal. The most common distribution pattern of the flow signal from the SpV before the meal was in the central part of the main PV (55%), while it was in the left side (45%) after the meal. The most common distribution pattern of the flow signal from the SMV was in the bilateral sides of the main PV both before and after the meal (62%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This technique shows potential for evaluating pre- and postprandial alterations of flow from the SpV and SMV in the PV under physiological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minamikogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan. kudato@mx52.tiki.ne.jp
authors.forename: Toshinobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukuda
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Ayame
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Mitsue
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Chisaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000502:physiology*