Intra-hepatic vascular response to sodium nitrite.

1. In the perfused liver of the dog, sodium nitrite produced vasoconstriction in the hepatic arterial bed and, particularly, in the portal venous vascular bed.2. These effects on the hepatic vasculature may account in part for the reduction of venous return and diminution in cardiac output recorded by other workers, and may therefore be a factor in the clinical efficacy of the nitrites in angina pectoris.