PURPOSE: Propranolol is known to decrease portal pressure by reducing blood flow of portal vein. Per-rectal portal scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate has been introduced to evaluate the portal circulation and early diagnosis of liver cirrhosis. We evaluated the effects of propranolol on portal circulation by using per-rectal portal scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the portal hemodynamics by per-rectal portal scintigraphy in 51 patients with liver cirrhosis, 10 chronic hepatitis and 10 normal subjects. 38 patients with cirrhosis underwent per-rectal portal scintigraphy before and after propranolol medication. Per-rectal portal scintigraphy was performed after per-rectal administration of 370 MBq of Tc-99m pertechnetate. The shunt index was calculated as the ratio, expressed as a percentage of heart radioactivity to the sum of heart and liver radioactivity during the first 30 seconds. RESULTS: The shunt index in 40 patients with cirrhosis (59.8+/-27.2%) was significantly higher than that of normal control (5.0+/-1.2%, p<0.01) and chronic hepatitis (11.4+/-3.5%, p<0.01). Shunt index was significantly different according to Child's classification and the degree of esophageal varix (p<0.01). After propranolol medication, shunt index was significantly decreased from 59.9+/-27.3% to 51.3+/-15.3% (p<0.01) in 38 patients with liver cirrhosis. There was no significant difference of the amount of shunt index reduction after propranolol according to Childs' classification and the degree of esophgageal varix. CONCLUSION: The effect of propranolol on portal circulation was demonstrated as decreasing shunt index on per-rectal portal scintigraphy in patients with liver cirrhosis. Per-rectal portal scintigraphy may be useful to evaluate the portal circulation and to predict the effect of propranolol in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Classification ; Early Diagnosis ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Fibrosis ; Heart ; Hemodynamics ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Portal Pressure ; Portal Vein* ; Propranolol* ; Radioactivity ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m ; Varicose Veins