Haemodynamic effects of splenectomy and vasoligation in bilharzial hepatic fibrosis

Patients with bilharzial hepatic fibrosis, when compared with control subjects, were found to be hypervolaemic as a result of increased plasma volume. The estimated hepatic blood flow in these patients was not significantly different from that of healthy individuals. Splenectomy and vasoligation was followed by a drop in portal pressure measured through an omental vein at operation. The estimated hepatic blood flow, however, was not altered by this surgical procedure. The blood volume, which was found to correlate with the size of the spleen, diminished and so did the plasma volume when measured after this operation.