Characterization of Hepatic Hemodynamics in Cirrhotics and Non-Cirrhotics Effect of Glucagon Infusion

Abstract

The effect of glucagon on hepatic regional hemodynamics was investigated in patients with chronic liver disease during peritoneoscopy with reflectance spectrophotometry. When glucagon was infused intravenously in patients with a non-cirrhotic liver, the regional hepatic tissue oxygen consumption, as estimated spectrophotometrically, increased significantly, whereas the index of hepatic tissue blood volume did not change appreciably, and consequently, the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the hepatic tissue blood decreased. In contrast, the administration of glucagon in patients with liver cirrhosis resulted in a significant increase in the index of hepatic tissue blood volume and produced a minor increase in hepatic tissue oxygen consumption. The oxygen saturation of hepatic blood hemoglobin tended to increase in the cirrhotics. The result suggests the presence of functional vasoconstriction at the presinusoidal and/or sinusoidal vessels in the cirrhotic liver, possibly due to a decreased vasomotor activity and/or an abnormal regulatory function of vasoactive substances, which are released by glucagon.

Key Words:

• Cirrhosis
• glucagons
• hemodynamics
• reflectance spectrophotometry
• vasoconstriction