The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of Kupffer cells during the increase of portal vein pressure caused by ethanol. We measured nitric oxide (NO) in the perfused rat liver using a commercial NO meter. Ethanol perfusion increased NO release and portal vein pressure. Gadolinium chloride pretreatment reduced the increase in portal vein pressure during the early phase of ethanol p...

Portal hypertension is a common clinical syndrome associated with chronic liver diseases, and is characterized by a pathological increase in portal pressure that leads to the formation of portosystemic collaterals resulting in shunting of portal blood into the systemic circulation. The increase in portal pressure is due to an increase in vascular resistance and an elevated portal blood flow. Th...

Analysis of hepatic hemodynamic adjustments is made peculiarly difficult by the complexity of the splanchnic circulation. Blood flow through the liver appears to be controlled by the interactions between four sets of vascular resistances: (a) those imposed between the aorta and the portal vein including the splenic, gastric, mesenteric, and colic arterioles; (b) those between the aorta and the ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess portal hemodynamics in patients with portal hypertension due to hepatosplenic schistosomiasis as well as to assess the contribution of splanchnic hyperflow to the pathophysiology of the portal hypertension. METHODS Sixteen patients with schistosomal portal hypertension and previous history of upper digestive bleeding due to esophageal varices ru...

Portal systemic shunting (PSS) and portal pressure were measured in control rats and in animals with portal hypertension induced by partial portal vein ligation (PPVL). The portal pressure in rats with partial portal vein ligation (13.4 +/- 0.5 mm.Hg.) was significantly higher (p < 0.005) than in the control group (9.6 +/- 0.6 mm.Hg.). Portal systemic shunting measured by consecutive injections...

Isolated giant varicocele has been reported with portal hypertension that results in abnormal communication between portal venous system and testicular vein venous system resulting in retrograde backflow of blood into the testicular venous system which leads to varicosity of the pampiniform plexuses. 65-year-old male with no past medical or surgical history presented to us with soft inguinoscro...

Portal hypertension is a common clinical syndrome, defined by a pathologic increase in the portal venous pressure. Increased resistance to portal blood flow, the primary factor in the pathophysiology of portal hypertension, is in part due to morphological changes occurring in chronic liver diseases. This results in rerouting of blood flow away from the liver through collateral pathways to low-p...

Low central venous pressure, which indirectly reflects free hepatic venous pressure, is maintained during hepatic resection surgery to reduce intraoperative blood loss by facilitating hepatic venous outflow. However, whether the low central venous pressure protocol established for non-transplant hepatobiliary surgery should be generalized to liver transplantation is controversial because patien...

Gastro-oesophageal variceal haemorrhage is one of the most dreadful complications of portal hypertension and can be controlled with vasoconstrictors. Nevertheless, sympathetic tone abnormality and vascular hyporesponsiveness in portal hypertension may impede the haemostatic effects of vasoconstrictors. Propranolol, a β-blocker binding the G-protein-coupled adrenoceptor, is a portal hypotensive ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement is currently the only validated technique to accurately evaluate changes in portal pressure. In this study, we evaluate the use of non-contrast quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a surrogate measure of portal pressure. METHODS Thirty patients undergoing HVPG measurement were prospectively recruited. MR paramet...