Patterns of regional sympathetic nerve traffic in preascitic and ascitic cirrhosis

12 Child class A cirrhotic patients with clinically significant portal hypertension (portal pressure gradient > 10 mm Hg) but without actual or previous ascites, 16 Child class C cirrhotic patients with tense ascites, and 10 patients with mild congestive heart failure.

Measurement of sympathetic nerve traffic to skeletal muscle (peroneal nerve) and to skin districts by microneurography.

Healthy controls (implied) and cross-group comparisons.

Muscle and skin sympathetic nerve traffic (bursts/min).surrogate