Postprandial responses of liver blood flow prior to and following hepatectomy in conscious dogs

Abstract

The responses of the portal and hepatic arterial blood flows to various diets and nutrients were measured simultaneously in conscious dogs prior to and following hepatic resection. Prior to hepatectomy, the increase in the portal blood flow was significantly larger in response to an elemental diet, fats, or amino acids than to glucose or water. The peak increase was 60.2 +/- 14.4 ml for water, 144.7 +/- 22.1 ml for a 150-cal elemental diet, 168.5 +/- 16.1 ml for a 300-cal elemental diet, 86.7 +/- 14.0 ml for a glucose solution, 159.3 +/- 16.7 ml for an amino acid meal, and 188.5 +/- 25.3 ml for a fat meal. Following partial hepatectomy, fats and amino acids induced an increase in the portal blood flow similar to that prior to hepatectomy. Glucose and the elemental diet, on the other hand, induced a significantly larger increase in portal blood flow following the surgery although water did not. The peak increase was 144.4 +/- 27.8 ml for glucose (166% of the peak increase prior to hepatectomy) and 221.8 +/- 32.5 ml for the 300-cal elemental diet (132%). The postprandial response of the hepatic artery to every diet was quite different among the dogs and there were no significant changes both prior to and following surgery. The different response of the portal flow to intraluminal glucose following partial hepatectomy may be due to alterations in glucose metabolism following hepatectomy. We have shown that the postprandial response of the portal blood flow varies with the type of nutrient, and it can be altered by hepatectomy.