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Hepatic Blood Flow Determined by Colloidal Gold Clearance Compared with Direct Flow Measurements¹

ABSTRACT

The validity of indirect hepatic blood flow measurement employing clearance of exogenous gold colloid was investigated in dogs. In one series of animals, cardiac output was controlled by extracorporeal perfusion and, in another, cardiac function was intact. In both groups of animals hepatic flow was measured directly by diverting the hepatic outflow into a volumetric flask without introducing hemodynamic changes. With a constant infusion rate of radioactive gold colloid, the activity concentration was measured with the arterial, portal venous, hepatic venous and peripheral venous blood. From these blood levels and post mortem tissue assay, clearance of colloid by the liver, and extrahepatic tissue was calculated and liver blood flows computed using the modified Fick principle.

In 80 sets of observations in 10 uncontrolled and 13 controlled cardiac output dogs, good agreement was observed between hepatic vein blood flow determined by gold colloid clearance and concurrent direct flow measurements. The indirect determinations responded quickly to changes in hepatic flow. The results of this study confirm the findings of Razzak and Wagner, who have demonstrated a good correlation between hepatic blood flow determined by a gold colloid clearance method and a direct flow measurement technique.

Extrahepatic clearance of gold colloid was significant and must be considered when evaluating hepatic vein flow with this material. This is particularly important in certain disease states where blood is shunted past the liver sinusoids. Peripheral vein colloid concentrations closely approximated portal vein concentration and, thus, could be used to approximate a sample from this inaccessable vessel.

FOOTNOTES

¹ This work was supported by a grant from the Cleveland Area Heart Society No. 1307.

² Work done in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Medicine.

³ From the Department of Surgery, Western Reserve University, School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio.