Streamline flow in the human portal vein.

Abstract

Streamline flow in the portal vein was stud ied in twelve patients undergoing taparotomy without liver disease. Liver scintigrams were obtained following injection of tracer doses of 198Aucolloj@ into a mesenteric vein and corn pared with repeat scintigrams obtained follow ing i.v. injection of ssmTc.rnicroaggregated albumin. Particularly from subdivisions of the superior rnesenteric vein, portal vein blood is directed predominantly to the right lobe. This may explain the predominance of right lobe in volvement in infectious diseases which ernbolize to the liver via the superior mesenteric vein. Certain intestinal infectious diseases which spread to the liver by way of the portal vein tend to localize in the right lobe. This tendency has been attributed to selective streamlining of blood coming up from the superior mesenteric vein. While streamline flow has been demonstrated in animals, human studies have produced contradictory results. This study dem onstrates streamline flow in the human portal system after injection of radiogold into various mesenteric veins. METHOD