Prostaglandin E1 increases indocyanine green disappearance rate in patients with chronic liver disease

The plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green was examined after prostaglandin E1 administration in 11 patients with chronic liver disease. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (n = 6) or absence (n = 5) of liver cirrhosis. Indocyanine green (0.1 mg/kg) was introduced as an intravenous bolus 5 min after prostaglandin E1 administration and the disappearance rate of indocyanine green (ICG-K) was determined by a finger-monitoring method. Saline was injected as the control. Prostaglandin E1 administration increased ICG-K, and this response was dose dependent when the prostaglandin E1 dose ranged from 0.01 to 0.05 micrograms/kg/min. When ICG-K after prostaglandin E1 relative to the ICG-K after saline (the control) was defined as the ICG-K ratio, the ICG-K ratio in the liver cirrhosis group was higher than that in the group without cirrhosis. These findings suggest that prostaglandin E1 increases the ICG-K of patients with chronic liver disease, and that this is strongest in patients with liver cirrhosis.