[Per-rectal scintigraphy of the portal system with pertechnetate TC-99M: clinically useful examination of patients with chronic liver disease.Part I].

Per-rectal portal scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate is a method to evaluate portosystemic shunting (shunt index) in inferior mesenteric vein. In this study the shunt index was estimated in patients with chronic liver disease in relation to the severity of liver injury, portal hypertension and incidence of oesophageal varices. Shunt index was elevated in patients with non-cirrhotic liver disease as compared with healthy normals (34 +/- 6% vs 8 +/- 2%; p < 0.0005). Moreover, patients with cirrhosis had the shunt index of 65 +/- 4% which was higher than in other groups. There was no correlation of the shunt index to the Child-Pugh classification, hepatic venous pressure gradient and varices size in the cirrhotic patients. Conversely, the shunt index differentiated variceal bleeders from non-bleeders (80 +/- 4% vx 59 +/- 6%; p < 0.005). These data show that peripheral collateral circulation develop in response to mild elevation of portal pressure, but its hemodynamic efficacy to alleviate portal hypertension seems to be unremarkable. High shunt index might reflect elevated risk of bleeding from varices.