Focal hepatic vein stenoses in diffuse liver disease

To determine the frequency of focal hepatic vein stenosis in diffuse liver disease and to study the relationship of stenosis to abnormal hepatic venous Doppler waveforms, 92 patients being evaluated for liver transplantation or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt were prospectively studied with color flow and pulsed Doppler sonography for the presence of focal hepatic vein stenoses and waveform abnormalities. Thirty-six patients had no focal stenoses with normal curves, 26 of 38 patients with Bolondi type I curves had focal stenoses, and 10 of 18 patients with damped type II curves had focal stenoses. Damped hepatic venous velocity curves associated with liver disease probably are caused by increased resistance in the hepatic venous circulation produced by focal stenoses.