Estimation of hepatic blood flow with 133-xenon

Regional hepatic blood flow was measured by two methods using 133-Xenon washout technique: 1. ''portal method'' (injection of 133-Xenon into the spleen), and 2. ''arterial method'' (direct application of 133-Xenon into the A. hepatica propria by an indwelling catheter after coelicagraphy). The portal method was performed in 38 patients (30 patients with cirrhosis of the liver, 4 patients with chronic hepatitis, 4 controls with normal liver function). The results show that using this method regional liver blood flow can be measured accurately. Patients with cirrhosis of the liver had a highly significantly decreased hepatic blood flow in comparison to the control group. The advantage of this method is that extra- and intrahepatic shunts can be visualized simultaneously. However, using this method in patients with hemodynamically very effective extrahepatic collaterals the tracer does not reach the liver. In these patients regional hepatic blood flow can be estimated by the arterial method (12 patients with cirrhosis of the liver, 2 with normal liver function). However, no information about the morphology of the portal circulation can be obtained using this method. Direct comparison of the quantitative estimation of regional hepatic blood flow was performed in 6 patients. The data obtained by the 2 methods correlated highly significantly (r=0.91). (author)