RESUMO
BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the relationship between spleen arterial blood flow (SBF) with platelet count, spleen index (SPI) and the serum nitric oxide (NO) level of patients with liver cirrhosis and to investigate the role of SBF in the development of hypersplenism. METHODOLOGY: Platelet count, SPI, SBF and serum NO levels were evaluated in 100 patients with liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B with hypersplenism (cirrhosis group) and 30 healthy persons without hypersplenism (control group). RESULTS: Platelet count in cirrhosis group and control group was 57.0 +/- 25.6 x 109/L and 205.8 +/- 47.4 x 109/L (p = 0.000), SBF was 535.7 +/- 263.7 milmin and 172.2 +/- 66.9 ml/min (p = 0.000), and serum NO level was 98.51 +/- 23.06 micromol/L and 48.43 +/- 19.47 micromol/L (p = 0.000). Linear correlations were made between SBF and platelet count in cirrhosis group (r = -0.573, p = 0.000), SBF and SPI (r = 0.607, p = 0.01), SBF and serum NO level (r = 0.754, p = 0.000). Moreover, serum NO level increased as liver disease aggravated (82.50 +/- 15.04 pmol/L in Child grade A, 94.61 +/- 21.00 micromol/L in grade B and 116.83 +/- 18.03 micromol/L in grade C; grade A versus grade C, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The elevation of SBF may play an important role in the development of hypersplenism and disorders in vasoactive factors such as the serum NO caused by liver cirrhosis may play an important role in the elevation of SBF.
