[Monitoring portal vein complications following liver transplantation by color Doppler flow imaging].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the diagnostic value of color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) in monitoring portal vein complications (PVC) following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).


METHODS
Five hundred and four patients received OLT and had CDFI examinations before and after their transplantations. CDFI monitoring parameters before the operation included portal vein diameter, blood flow velocity and the presence of thrombi within the portal vein. Monitoring parameters after the operation included portal vein diameters of donor and receiver sides, and the diameter of the mouth of anastomosis, inner side of blood vessel echo, the direction of blood flow and its speed.


RESULTS
Of the 504 patients examined, the median velocity of the portal blood flow was 46.27 cm/s (range: 15.8 to 110.8) on the day of the operation. The blood flow speed of 358 cases (71.03%) was higher than 40 cm/s. Of the 358 patients, 347 (68.85%) had a blood flow speed lower than 40 cm/s one month after the operation. Sixty-four patients (12.70%) showed hepatofugal blood flow once, and only one case had a total hepatofugal blood flow. Thirteen patients (2.58%) had portal vein complications, including 4 cases with portal vein thrombosis and 9 with portal vein stenosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Not all abnormal portal vein blood flow signals will lead to complications. It is worthwhile to monitor the portal blood flows. CDFI plays an important role in the diagnosis of portal vein complications after orthotopic liver transplantation.
Ren
Xiu-yun
XY
Organ Transplantation Center, General Hospital of Chinese Peopleos Armed Police Forces, Beijing 100039, China. rrcloud@sina.com
Wang
Feng-shui
FS
Liu
Yu
Y
Chen
Xin-guo
XG
Li
Wen
W
Shen
Zhong-yang
ZY
Zhuang
Hui
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000601:surgery; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex / Q000379:methods; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology