Liver blood flow, antipyrine clearance, and antipyrine metabolite formation clearance in patients with chronic active hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis.

Duplex scanning was used to measure liver blood flow (hepatic artery and main branches of the portal and hepatic veins) in six healthy subjects, five cirrhotic patients, and six hepatitis patients. Antipyrine clearance and formation clearances to its metabolites were also measured. Compared with healthy control subjects, cirrhotic patients had a lower hepatic vein blood flow (-76%, P < 0.05). This was due primarily to a lower portal vein blood flow (-36%, NS). A statistically significant difference in liver blood flow between patients with hepatitis and normal subjects was not detected. Antipyrine half-life, clearance, and the area under the serum drug concentration vs time curve were significantly different in cirrhotic patients compared with the healthy subjects (mean +/- s.d.-healthy controls: t1/2 = 13.7 +/- 3.0 h, CL = 30.0 +/- 8.6 ml h-1 kg-1, AUC = 549 +/- 139 mg l-1 h; cirrhotic patients: t1/2 = 32.4 +/- 1.7 h, CL = 12.3 +/- 2.1 ml h-1 kg-1, AUC = 1061 +/- 218 mg l-1 h; P < 0.008). Antipyrine half-life, clearance, and the area under the serum drug concentration vs time curve were not significantly different in hepatitis patients compared with the healthy subjects (hepatitis patients: t1/2 = 14.3 +/- 3.7 h, CL = 29.3 +/- 8.5 ml h-1 kg-1, AUC = 498 +/- 142 mg l-1 h). The volume of distribution of antipyrine was similar in all three groups of subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)