PORTAL-VEIN BLOOD-FLOW IS RELATED TO CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MIGRATINGMOTOR COMPLEX OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT

Objective: To measure variation in portal blood flow during the interd igestive state in relation to the migrating motor complex (MMC) in hea lthy volunteers. Design: Portal blood flow was measured by a duplex an d colour Doppler technique with 5-min intervals during an entire MMC c ycle. Total recording period varied from 105-180 min. Results: Median (range) blood flow during phase I, phase II and phase III of the MMC f rom the pooled data was 10.9 ml/min/kg (5.2-23.9), 15.5 ml/min/kg (4.1 -38.1) and 18.9 ml/min/kg (5.4-46.5), respectively; the difference bet ween these figures was significant (P<0.01). In each of the subjects, the median blood flow during phase I was lower than during phase II (P <0.02) and in all but one subject, the median blood flow during phase II was lower compared with phase III (P=0.06). Finally, the blood flow during phase III was higher than during phase I in all subjects. Conc lusion: Blood flow in the portal vein varies with the characteristics of the MMC, a relationship which must be considered in future studies in health and disease.