Hepatic hemodynamics in alcoholic liver injuries assessed by reflectance spectrophotometry.

We have investigated the hepatic hemodynamics by reflectance spectrophotometry in patients with alcoholic liver disease. The analysis of 32 cases has shown that the estimated regional hepatic tissue blood hemoglobin concentration, expressed as a difference in absorbance between 569 and 650 nm (delta Er569-650), decreased significantly with progress of fibrosis in the liver, suggesting the relative compression of the vascular compartment due to the progress of alcoholic liver disease. The estimated hepatic oxygen consumption also decreased with progress of fibrosis in the liver. The estimated hepatic oxygen consumption correlated positively with prothrombin time and serum albumin level, and negatively with the fifteen minute retention rate of indocyanine green. Thus, it is concluded that the imbalance between supply and utilization of oxygen in the liver may have an important role in the progress of alcoholic liver disease.