Portal venous blood flow while breath-holding after inspiration or expiration and during normal respiration in controls and cirrhotics.

In this study, we used magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to measure portal blood flow in 12 healthy controls and 17 cirrhotics while they were breath-holding after inspiration and after expiration. We then compared the results with measurements made during normal respiration in the healthy controls and cirrhotics. Blood flow in the main portal vein under basal fasting conditions was quantitated using the cine phase-contrast MR velocity mapping method. Three measurements were made on one occasion, as follows: (1) throughout the cardiac cycle during normal respiration, (2) with the subject breath-holding after maximal inspiration, and (3) with the subject breath-holding after maximal expiration. During normal respiration, portal blood flow was 1.3 +/- 0.21/min in controls vs 1.0 +/- 0.11/min in cirrhotics (P < 0.0001); while subjects were breath-holding after inspiration, portal blood flow was 1.0 +/- 0.21/min in controls vs 0.9 +/- 0.11/min in cirrhotics; and while subjects were breath-holding after expiration, portal blood flow was 1.5 +/- 0.21/min in controls vs 1.1 +/- 0.21/min in cirrhotics (P < 0.0001). The differences were primarily due to changes in flow velocity. When the magnitude of these hemodynamic changes in the three respiratory conditions was compared in controls and cirrhotics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference (P < 0.0001). In controls, portal blood flow decreased during maximal inspiration relative to flow during normal respiration (-24.6 +/- 8.3%). Changes in portal blood flow in controls were greater than in cirrhotics (-13.5 +/- 4.5%) (P < 0.0001); however, the difference in blood flow increase associated with maximal expiration between the two groups (+11.8 +/- 9.4% vs +5.9 +/- 11.5%) was not significant. We found that the respiration-induced hemodynamic variation in portal blood flow was less in cirrhotics than in the healthy controls. Portal blood flow measurements made during normal respiration using MR imaging closely reflect nearly physiologic conditions.