Significance of connective tissue proliferation on portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis

Abstract

The significance of the co-existence of connective tissue proliferation in the liver and hepatic cell swelling (sinusoidal stenoses) on hepatic circulation was examined.
Connective tissue proliferation was produced by horse serum injection, and hepatic cell swelling by a choline deficient diet. Connective tissue proliferation (fibrosis) alone did not produce portal hypertension (114mmH₂O); hepatic cell swelling (fatty liver) alone caused a moderate increase in the portal vein pressure (153mmH₂O). Connective tissue proliferation plus hepatic cell swelling (fibrosis with fatty metamorphosis) induced severe portal hypertension (173mmH₂O) and it was of the same degree as that in liver cirrhosis (173mm H₂O).
These facts reveal that connective tissue proliferation and hepatic cell swelling have little significance on portal hypertension individually. The co-existence, however, of connective tissue proliferation and hepatic cell swelling leads to a marked elevation of the portal vein pressure. This was supposed to relate to the fact that proliferated connective tissue bands restrict an increase in volume of pseudolobules resulting from hepatic cell swelling.