Contribution of the large hepatic veins to postsinusoidal vascular resistance

We tested the hypothesis that the larger (greater than 2 mm ID) hepatic veins are the primary site of the portal-to-caval venous pressure gradient in the dog. Double-lumen catheters were inserted through the caval wall into hepatic veins of pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized dogs. One lumen opened at the end, and the other to the side. Each catheter was advanced until stopped and then it was withdrawn. The pressure at either port dropped from 87 +/- 31 to 13 +/- 11% of the portal-to-caval pressure difference as each moved past a transition point (TP). The location of the TP depended on the catheter diameter. Intraportal histamine or norepinephrine, 4 and 2.6 micrograms.min-1.kg body wt-1 respectively, augmented only the pressure measured upstream to the TP. A mathematical model of flow through a vessel with a catheter inside predicted a marked increase in resistance when the ratio of catheter OD to vessel ID exceeded approximately 0.6. Autopsy revealed ratios greater than 0.6 upstream to the TP. A hydraulic model confirmed that this effect caused the appearance of the TP. Given the depth (11.7 cm) at which near caval pressures could be found, even during histamine administration, we conclude that the major pressure gradients in the canine liver must lie upstream to the large hepatic veins.