Gastric mucosal blood flow in portal hypertension patients--a laser Doppler flowmetry study.

Gastric mucosal blood flow was evaluated endoscopically by means of laser Doppler flowmetry in an attempt to explore microcirculatory changes in different areas of gastric mucosa in portal hypertension patients as compared with controls. Twenty male--Child B--cirrhotics and seven healthy subjects were assessed, the recordings being performed at ten defined points of the stomach. Statistical evaluation revealed that blood flow in the body of the stomach was decreased in cirrhotics. Bearing in mind that congestive gastropathy, found mainly in the gastric corpus, is due to changes in gastric vascularity leading to congestion and stasis, we consider that the decrease in gastric mucosal blood flow may be attributable to these vascular alterations.