title: The effect of splenic arterial blood flow (SBF) on severity of hypersplenism and analysis of factors associated with SBF.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aims to explore the relationship between spleen arterial blood flow (SBF) with platelet count, spleen index (SPI) and the serum nitric oxide (NO) level of patients with liver cirrhosis and to investigate the role of SBF in the development of hypersplenism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Platelet count, SPI, SBF and serum NO levels were evaluated in 100 patients with liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B with hypersplenism (cirrhosis group) and 30 healthy persons without hypersplenism (control group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Platelet count in cirrhosis group and control group was 57.0 +/- 25.6 x 109/L and 205.8 +/- 47.4 x 109/L (p = 0.000), SBF was 535.7 +/- 263.7 milmin and 172.2 +/- 66.9 ml/min (p = 0.000), and serum NO level was 98.51 +/- 23.06 micromol/L and 48.43 +/- 19.47 micromol/L (p = 0.000). Linear correlations were made between SBF and platelet count in cirrhosis group (r = -0.573, p = 0.000), SBF and SPI (r = 0.607, p = 0.01), SBF and serum NO level (r = 0.754, p = 0.000). Moreover, serum NO level increased as liver disease aggravated (82.50 +/- 15.04 pmol/L in Child grade A, 94.61 +/- 21.00 micromol/L in grade B and 116.83 +/- 18.03 micromol/L in grade C; grade A versus grade C, p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elevation of SBF may play an important role in the development of hypersplenism and disorders in vasoactive factors such as the serum NO caused by liver cirrhosis may play an important role in the elevation of SBF.
authors: Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
authors: Ke-Yu
authors: KY
authors: Xu
authors: Chong-Lin
authors: CL
authors: Tao
authors: Jin-Hua
authors: JH
authors: Wang
authors: Qi-Yu
authors: QY
authors: Zhang
authors: Meng-Tao
authors: MT
authors: Zhou
authors: Qian-Dong
authors: QD
authors: Zhu
authors: Hong-Qi
authors: HQ
authors: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D006971:Hypersplenism / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D010976:Platelet Count; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013157:Splenic Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide