SUMMARY 1. Functional liver blood flow and hepatic artery flow were measured before and after either end‐to‐side portacaval or side‐to‐side mesocaval shunting in dogs. 2. Functional liver blood fell by approximately 50% following both portacaval and mesocaval shunting. 3. The hepatic artery response was variable after both portacaval and mesocaval shunts. 4. It is concluded that side‐to‐side mesocaval shunts do not preserve hepatic blood flow or produce a greater compensatory increase in hepatic artery flow than conventional portacaval shunts.

Liver blood flow (xenon-133 clearance method) and wedged hepatic venous pressure were studied in cirrhotic rats immediately after and 3 weeks following portacaval shunting (PCS), PCS and arterialisation of the portal stump with the left gastric artery (PCS-ART) or sham operation. Liver weight and function were compared 3 weeks after operation. Liver blood flow and wedged hepatic venous pressure were significantly reduced immediately after and 3 weeks following PCS. PCS-ART maintained liver blood flow and wedged hepatic venous pressure within the pre-operative range and prevented the liver atrophy and deterioration in liver function observed in rats with PCS. The results suggest that arterialisation of the portal vein with an artery which does not significantly increase sinusoidal pressure may be of benefit in preventing the early undersirable sequelae of PCS in man.

Portal venous flow, total hepatic blood-flow and hepatic artery flow were measured in healthy dogs by electromagnetic flowmetry and a double indicator dilution technique. Functional liver blood-flow was measured by the double indicator dilution technique. Functional hepatic blood-flow did not correlate with portal venous flow, total hepatic blood-flow or hepatic artery flow, measured by either electromagnetic flowmetry or a double indicator dilution technique. There was a good correlation (r = 0.83, P less than 0.001) between functional hepatic blood-flow and liver blood-flow, measured by the clearance of Xenon-133 injected directly into the liver parenchyma. It is concluded that the clearance of Xenon-133, injected directly into the liver parenchyma, is a rapid and simple method for measuring functional hepatic blood-flow.