Measurement of hepatic blood flow by use of per-rectal portal scintigraphy with 133Xe.

A relatively noninvasive method is needed to evaluate the hepatic blood flow of patients with liver disease. We used per-rectal portal scintigraphy with 133Xe, and analysed the time-activity curves of the liver and portal vein. To do this, wash-out curves of the liver were plotted, and the hepatic blood flow and the ratio of the blood flow to the right lobe of the liver to that to the left lobe (R/L ratio) were calculated. The mean hepatic blood flow was 137 +/- 23 ml/100 g/min for four patients with fatty liver, 139 +/- 16 ml/100 g/min for seven patients with chronic persistent hepatitis, 120 +/- 15 ml/100 g/min for ten patients with chronic aggressive hepatitis, and 75 +/- 21 ml/100 g/min for 14 patients with cirrhosis. All seven patients with hepatic blood flow that was less than 100 ml/100 g/min and an R/L ratio less than 1.0 had cirrhosis. Only two of the 22 patients with hepatic blood flow that was greater than 100 ml/100 g/min and an R/L ratio greater than 1.0 had cirrhosis. Per-rectal portal scintigraphy can be used to measure the hepatic blood flow, but it was not useful for the diagnosis of fatty liver.