Effects of nonshunting operations on portal venous pressure and hepatic blood flow

A comparative analysis has been presented of the effect of the nonshunting operation on portal venous pressure and effective hepatic blood flow in patients with liver cirrhosis and idiopathic portal hypertension. A reduction of portal pressure after splenectomy with esophagogastric devascularization in 17 patients with idiopathic portal hypertension was significantly greater than that in 79 patients with liver cirrhosis (-21 +/- 4.1 percent versus -8.9 +/- 1.6 percent, p less than 0.01). Clearance of galactose from the blood, which approximates effective hepatic blood flow, was decreased after the nonshunting operation by 6.7 percent in five patients with liver cirrhosis (p value not significant). On the other hand, there was a 19.4 percent reduction (statistically significant) in galactose clearance in four patients with idiopathic portal hypertension (p less than 0.05). Based on these data, we suggest that in patients with idiopathic portal hypertension, the splenic circuit largely contributes to the portal hypertension, the effective hepatic blood flow, or both. We recommend a nonshunting operation for the treatment of esophageal varices from the hemodynamic viewpoint in cirrhotic patients.