• BRIEF REPORTS • Functional hepatic flow in patients with liver cirrhosis

AIM: To evaluate hepatic reserve function by investigating the change of functional hepatic flow and total hepatic flow in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. METHODS: HPLC method was employed for the determination of concentration of D-sorbitol in human plasma and urine. The functional hepatic flow (FHF) and total hepatic flow (THF) were determined by means of modified hepatic clearance of D-sorbitol combined with duplex doppler color sonography in 20 patients with cirrhosis and 10 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: FHF, evaluated by means of the D-sorbitol clearance, was significantly reduced in patients with cirrhosis in comparison to controls (764.74±167.91 vs 1 195.04±242.97 mL/min, P<0.01). While THF was significantly increased in patients with cirrhosis in comparison to controls (1 605.23±279.9