[Duplex sonography measurement of portal vein blood flow with healthy livers and in patients with chronic hepatitis after a fully absorbable test meal].

In 36 patients with chronic viral hepatitis and 20 patients with an intact liver we determined the blood flow and blood flow velocities of the portal vein by means of duplexsonography. This was done before and after the intake of a test meal (Biosorbin MCT). According to preexisting data the cases of chronic hepatitis were subdivided into groups consisting of 14 cases having chronic persistent hepatitis, 9 cases having chronic aggressive hepatitis without tendency of cirrhotic transformation and 13 cases of chronic aggressive hepatitis with beginning cirrhotic changes. Patients with known cirrhosis of the liver or signs of portal hypertension were excluded from the study. It was not possible to assign a patient with chronic hepatitis to a definite group merely on the knowledge of his portal blood flow. Only after the intake of the test meal varying increases in blood flow velocity and volume were demonstrated. These increases were found to be smallest in the group of "chronic aggressive hepatitis with developing cirrhosis". In some individual cases this enabled us to conclude from changes of the portal blood flow whether or not a portal hypertension is developing.