[Hepatic artery changes in liver cirrhosis]

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Hepatology
• Radiology

Background:

• Portal hypertension is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis.
• Intrahepatic portal hypertension involves elevated pressure within the liver's portal vein system.
• Understanding vascular alterations is crucial for managing portal hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the arterial changes associated with the intrahepatic form of portal hypertension.
• To analyze the impact of liver cirrhosis on hepatic artery morphology.

Main Methods:

• Selective celiacography was performed on 50 patients.
• Radiographic imaging focused on the arteries of the liver and surrounding structures.

Main Results:

• Constriction and deformation of terminal lobular, segmentary, and subsegmentary arteries were observed due to cirrhotic alterations.
• Dilatation of extraorganic portions of the hepatic artery was noted.
• This extraorganic hepatic artery dilation was more pronounced in well-formed cirrhosis with moderate portal hypertension.

Conclusions:

• Selective celiacography demonstrates significant arterial remodeling in intrahepatic portal hypertension.
• Liver cirrhosis induces both intra-arterial constriction and extra-arterial dilatation.
• The degree of hepatic artery dilation correlates with cirrhosis severity and portal hypertension.