title: Evaluation of hepatic tissue blood flow using xenon computed tomography with fibrosis progression in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: comparison with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study evaluated the utility of xenon computed tomography (Xe-CT) as a noninvasive diagnostic procedure for the measurement of hepatic tissue blood flow (TBF) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or chronic hepatitis C (CH-C).
  
  
  METHODS
  Xe-CT was performed in 93 patients with NAFLD and in 109 patients with CH-C. Subjects were classified into one of three groups, based on fibrosis stage: group 1, no bridging fibrosis; group 2, bridging fibrosis; and group 3, liver cirrhosis. Correlations between hepatic TBFs in each fibrosis stage were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In group 1, portal venous TBF (PVTBF), hepatic arterial (HATBF), and total hepatic TBF (THTBF) were significantly lower in patients with in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) than in those with CH-C (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, p < 0.001, respectively). In group 2, PVTBF and THTBF were significantly lower in patients with in NASH than in those with CH-C (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively). In group 3, hepatic TBFs were not significantly different when comparing patients with NASH and those with CH-C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PVTBF decreased due to fat infiltration. Therefore, hemodynamic changes occur relatively earlier in NAFLD than in CH-C. Patients with NASH should be monitored carefully for portal hypertensive complications in the early fibrosis stage.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. r2shigefuku@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shigefuku
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. hide-bo@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. masaki0801_3@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. y3yoshida@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. k2suetani@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suetani
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. y2noguchi@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. m.h@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Moriaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hatsugai
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. nakahara@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kazunari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. ikedahi@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. m3kobayashi@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. kotarom@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. nobu1020@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. c2okuse@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Okuse
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. fitoh@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. shiromaeyama915@msg.biglobe.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeyama
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. sase@anzai-med.co.jp.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sase
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki 216-8511, Kanagawa, Japan. michstmu@marianna-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Michihiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014978:Xenon
chemical_list: D014978:Xenon