Influence of long-term injection sclerotherapy on portal venous component of total liver perfusion measured by hepatosplenic radionuclide angiography.

In an attempt to establish whether repeated injection sclerotherapy (ST) has any influence on the portal venous fraction of hepatic blood flow, we investigated 8 patients with liver cirrhosis and esophageal varices immediately prior to and six months after ST, using computerized hepatosplenic radionuclide angiography. The mean values of the portal venous fraction of the hepatic blood flow before and after treatment did not differ (20 +/- SD 9% vs. 20 +/- 11%). Eight cirrhotics with esophageal varices who had received no ST served as controls. Also in these patients, the mean values did not change over a period of six months (17 +/- 10% vs. 17 +/- 14%). The mean portal venous fraction of hepatic blood flow was significantly higher (56 +/- 9%, p less than 0.001) in 10 subjects without hepatobiliary disease. The results show that while the portal venous fraction of hepatic blood flow is significantly reduced in patients with liver cirrhosis and esophageal varices, it is not influenced by ST.