Nozomi SHINOZAKI, Isamu KOYAMA, Tsunenori ARAI, Takuji WATANABE, Naoki NAGASHIMA, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Haruyuki ANZAI, Shunei KYO

First Department of Surgery, Saitama Medical School

キーワード : Tricuspid regurgitation, Doppler ultrasonography, Hepatic vein , Portal vein

We used Doppler ultrasonography to study hepatic and portal venous flow patterns in 12 patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR) before and after surgery. Before surgery, TR patients showed marked hepatic vein regurgitation, definite portal flow pulsation, and significant elevation in the pulsatility (PI) and resistance (RI) indices for both vessels compared with healthy control subjects. Reverse-flow signals were obtained from the right anterior portal branch and the main portal vein as well as the hepatic vein. After surgery, the reverse flow in the hepatic vein decreased with the reduction in TR, and the portal flow changed from a pulsatile to a constant flow pattern. These results indicate that portal flow is greatly affected by right heart hemodynamics and that there is a close correlation in blood flow between the hepatic and portal veins mediated by the liver sinusoid.