Hepatic Blood Flow During Late Pregnancy

The liver blood flow in non-pregnant women (15 cases) and in late pregnancy (20 cases) was studied by colloidal heat-denatured serum albumin labelled with 131I. The dose used was 10 μCi. The results were evaluated visually by gamma camera or two collimated detectors one of which was directed to the vessels of the thigh and the other placed over the right lobe of the liver. In addition, blood samples were drawn at fixed intervals and their radioactivity was measured. Using previously developed mathematical formulae, the half-time of plasma activity was found to be 2.0 ± 0.4 min in the control group, 2.0 ± 1.1 min in normal pregnancy and 3.0 ± 1.1 min in toxaemia. Because of the great individual variation no significant changes between the groups were demonstrable. The isotope diagnostic method used was found to be suitable for measurement of the hepatic blood flow of patients with a stable liver disease, but because of the changing vital functions and the individual variations during pregnancy this method does not bring out the changes between non-pregnant cases and late pregnancy.