Hepatic blood flow in mice with acute hepato-splenic schistosomiasis mansoni

Hepatic blood flow (HBF) was studied in mice 5, 7, 9 and 11 weeks after infection with Schistosoma mansoni. HBF per 100 g. body weight remained normal throughout, despite the development of portal hypertension and portal-systemic collateral circulation. It is suggested that portal flow decreases and arterial flow increases in a compensatory fashion. Maintenance of normal HBF may be related to the preservation of liver function in infected mice. Ligation of the hepatic artery had no effect on HBF in normal or heavily infected mice 7 and 9 weeks after infection. At 11 weeks arterial ligation was followed by infarction of the liver and gall bladder in infected mice.