Renal blood flow in cirrhotic patients and hepatorenal syndrome [HRS]

ABSTRACT

This work aimed to assess the effect of liver cirrhosis and ascites on renal blood flow. The study included 40 consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis divided into two groups according to presence or absence of renal dysfunction in addition to ten normal volunteers taken as controls. All patients were subjected to clinical, laboratory, ultrasonographic, duplex study on renal artery and isotopic study for the estimation of total effective renal plasma flow [ERPF]. The results showed that the mean total ERPF was significantly lower in group B [HRS] compared to group A [cirrhotics]. The mean ERPF/CO was significantly lower in group B compared with group A. It was concluded that patients with HRS showed a marked diminution in total ERPF and ERPF/CO when compared with normal volunteers, while cirrhotic patients only showed mild diminution in total ERPF and ERPF/CO compared with the volunteers. However, renal blood flow when measured by duplex showed a similar elevation in renal vascular resistance in both HRS and cirrhotics