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Updated: May 9, 2026
Invasive Hemodynamic Characterization of the Portal-hypertensive Syndrome in Cirrhotic Rats
Published on: August 1, 2018
The evaluation of haemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with spectral CT
1Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Insights
Spectral CT imaging can assess liver hemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. The arterial iodine fraction (AIF) effectively differentiates disease severity, offering a new diagnostic parameter.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Imaging
- Hepatology
- Cardiovascular Imaging
Background:
- Portal hypertension is a serious complication of cirrhosis.
- Accurate assessment of liver hemodynamics is crucial for managing cirrhotic patients.
- Current methods for evaluating liver hemodynamics can be invasive or limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate liver hemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension using spectral CT imaging.
- To determine the utility of the arterial iodine fraction (AIF) as a non-invasive parameter.
Main Methods:
- 118 cirrhotic patients and 21 controls underwent three-phase spectral CT scans.
- Iodine concentrations in hepatic parenchyma were measured in arterial and portal venous phases.
- The arterial iodine fraction (AIF) was calculated and compared between groups.
Main Results:
- A significant difference in AIF was observed between cirrhotic patients and controls.
- AIF values increased with Child-Pugh grade in cirrhotic patients (A, B, C).
- Statistically significant differences were found between most subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Arterial iodine fraction (AIF) measured by spectral CT is a viable tool for assessing liver hemodynamics in cirrhosis.
- AIF serves as a novel, non-invasive parameter for monitoring liver hemodynamics and disease progression.
Objective:
To evaluate haemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension using spectral CT imaging.
Methods:
118 cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension were included in the study group (further divided into Child-Pugh A, B and C subgroups). The control group consisted of 21 subjects with normal liver functionality. All subjects underwent three-phase spectral CT scans. Material decomposition images with water and iodine as basis material pairs were reconstructed. The iodine concentrations for the hepatic parenchyma in both arterial and portal venous phases were measured. The arterial iodine fraction (AIF) was obtained by dividing the iodine concentration in the hepatic arterial phase by that in the portal venous phase. AIF values from the study and control groups were compared using analysis of variance and between subgroups using a post-hoc test with Bonferroni correction, with a statistical significance of p<0.05.
Results:
The AIF was 0.25±0.05 in the control group, and 0.29±0.10, 0.37±0.12 and 0.43±0.14 in the study group with Child-Pugh Grades A, B and C, respectively. The difference in AIF between the control and study groups was statistically significant. The differences were statistically significant between the subgroups with multiple comparisons except between the control group and the Child-Pugh A group (p=0.685).
Conclusion:
AIF measured in spectral CT could be used to evaluate the liver haemodynamics of cirrhotic patients.
Advances In Knowledge:
The AIF, provided by spectral CT, could be used as a new parameter to observe liver haemodynamics.
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