Evaluation of quantitative portal venous, hepatic arterial, and total hepatic tissue blood flow using xenon CT in alcoholic liver cirrhosis: comparison with liver cirrhosis C.
OBJECTIVE
Xenon computed tomography (Xe-CT) is a noninvasive method of quantifying and visualizing tissue blood flow (TBF). For the liver, Xe-CT allows separate measurement of hepatic arterial and portal venous TBF. The present study evaluated the usefulness of Xe-CT as a noninvasive diagnostic procedure for measuring hepatic TBF in alcoholic liver cirrhosis (AL-LC), compared with liver cirrhosis C (C-LC).


METHODS
Xenon computed tomography was performed on 12 patients with AL-LC and 17 patients with C-LC. The severity of LC was classified according to Child-Pugh classification. Correlations between hepatic TBF and Child-Pugh classification were examined. Correlations of hepatic TBF in Child-Pugh class A to C-LC and AL-LC were also examined.


RESULTS
The mean portal venous TBF (PVTBF) was significantly lower in AL-LC than in C-LC (p=0.0316). Similarly, the mean total hepatic TBF (THTBF) was significantly lower in AL-LC than in C-LC (p=0.0390). PVTBF displayed a significant negative correlation with Child-Pugh score (r=-0.396, p=0.0368).


CONCLUSIONS
Measurement of hepatic TBF using Xe-CT is useful as a noninvasive, objective method of assessing the state of the liver in chronic liver disease.
Takahashi
Hideaki
H
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St. Marianna University, School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.
Suzuki
Michihiro
M
Ikeda
Hiroki
H
Kobayashi
Minoru
M
Sase
Shigeru
S
Yotsuyanagi
Hiroshi
H
Maeyama
Shiro
S
Iino
Shiro
S
Itoh
Fumio
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014978:Xenon
D014978:Xenon