MEASUREMENT OF HUMAN HEPATIC AND SPLENIC PERFUSION USING DYNAMIC COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

The purpose of the study was evaluate hepatic (portal and arterial) an d splenic perfusion at parenchymal level using dynamic computed tomogr aphy (CT) in patients with diffuse liver disease and controls. Ninetee n patients and 30 normal controls underwent dynamic CT of the liver. S ingle-location dynamic sequences were carried out after intravenous ad ministration of a 40 ml bolus of contrast medium (Ioversol; 5 cc/s). H epatic arterial perfusion, hepatic portal perfusion and splenic perfus ion were calculated from time-attenuation curves. Hepatic portal perfu sion was significantly lower in patients (0.63 +/- 0.33 ml/min/ml (mea n +/- SD); P = 0.003) compared with that in controls (1.03 +/- 0.43), although hepatic arterial perfusion did not differ (0.090 +/- 0.044 ve rsus 0.102 +/- 0.114). Splenic arterial perfusion was significantly lo wer in patients (0.92 +/- 0.31; P = 0.0009) than in controls (1.35 +/- 0.44). The decreased hepatic portal perfusion in patients with diffus e liver disease was not supplemented by an increase in hepatic arteria l perfusion. The decreased splenic perfusion in patients may be due to increased portal pressure. Dynamic CT enables quantification of hepat ic and splenic perfusion. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All r ights reserved.