Hepatic blood flows in patients with cirrhosis due to alcohol consumption before and after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for esophagogastric varices: Comparison with those in cirrhotic patients caused by hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

Aim: Hemodynamic changes in hepatic blood flow after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) compared to the baseline blood flow are to be elucidated in patients with cirrhosis both due to alcohol consumption and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Thus, hepatic arterial tissue blood flow (HATBF) and portal venous tissue blood flow (PVTBF) were evaluated by xenon computed tomography (Xe-CT) in patients with cirrhosis receiving EIS for esophagogastric varices (EGV).

Methods: Subjects were 18 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 19 patients with of HCV-related cirrhosis receiving EIS for EGV. Xe-CT was performed before and after EIS procedures. Total hepatic TBF (THTBF), splenic blood flow and PVTBF/HATBF (P/A) ratio were calculated.

Results: PVTBF (ml/100 ml/min; mean±SD) before and after EIS procedures were 25.6±6.3 and 29.8±6.2, respectively, in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, and 28.9±9.4 and 29.2±8.7, respectively, in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis; the values were increased significantly in the former patients (p=0.006), while were not altered in the latter patients. In contrast, HATBF, THTBF and P/A ratios were not changed after EIS procedures compared to baseline values.

Conclusions: Portal venous flows were increased especially in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis after EIS procedures compared to those at baseline, and abstinence after admission might contribute to such hemodynamic changes.