A study of the hepatic artery blood flow in portal stem vein tumor thrombus with color Doppler ultrasound

Objective To investigate the hemodynamic changes of the proper hepatic artery (PHA) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal stem vein tumor thrombus.Methods Sixty HCC and portal stem vein tumor thrombus patients were divided into partial occlusion group and completely occlusion group with 30 patients each.Eighty HCC patients without portal stem vein tumor thrumbus were in HCC group and 20 health cases were in control group.Color Doppler ultrasound was used to measure the diameter of PHA (PHA-D),systolic maximal velocity (Vmax) and resistant index (RI) of PHA.Results PHA-D in control group,HCC group,partial occlusion group and completely occlusion group was (0.33 ±0.05),(0.44 ±0.04),(0.45±0.04),(0.61±0.07)cm,Vmax was (31.32±9.31),(66.76±20.34),(68.16±21.96),( 132.65 ± 38.84 ) cm/s,RI was 0.75 ± 0.08,0.68 ± 0.13,0.65 ± 0.11,0.55 ± 0.10,respectively.The levels of PHA-D,Vmax and RI in HCC group,partial occlusion group and completely occlusion group had significant difference compared with those in control group (P ＜ 0.01 or ＜ 0.05 ).The levels of PHA-D,Vmax and RI in completely occlusion group had significant difference compared with those in HCC group,partial occlusion group(P＜ 0.01 ). Conclusions The blood flux obviously ascends compensatorily in HCC with portal stem vein tumor thrombus,RI obviously descends.But it is the occlusive nature of the tumor thrombus that is crucial to the hemodynamic change of the proper hepatic artery. Key words: Carcinoma,hepatocellular;  Ultrasonography,Doppler,color;  Portal vein; Hepatic artery