Experimental study of CT perfusion in early stage of cirrhosis of rabbits

Objective To investigate the changes of hepatic blood perfusion in rabbits in early stage of cirrhosis. Methods Fifteen New Zealand rabbits of control group and 15 of test group were enrolled in this study. The rabbits in the test group were induced with CCl4, and 3 were studied with CT perfusion with 2 weeks intervals. Meanwhile, the CT perfusion data of different stages were compared and pathologic analysis was performed. Results Between the period of fourth week and tenth week of test, hepatic artery perfusion (HAP) trended to increase in test group. Statistic analysis showed the differences of hepatic artery flow (HAF) at different stages were significant between control and test groups (P0.05). Hepatic blood flow (HBF) and hepatic portal perfusion (HPP) declined, mean transmit time (MTT) prolonged obviously, and all showed similar statistic results. Conclusion CT perfusion can reflect some changes of hepatic blood perfusion in rabbits in early stage of cirrhosis. The data of CT perfusion, especially the changes should be valuable for clinical early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.