CT Signs of Hepatofugal Portal Venous Flow in Patients with Cirrhosis

We investigated whether CT signs can be used to predict hepatofugal flow in the main portal vein in patients with cirrhosis. We retrospectively identified 36 patients with cirrhosis, 18 with hepatopetal and 18 with hepatofugal flow in the main portal vein, who underwent contemporaneous abdominal sonography and CT. Two independent observers evaluated the following features on the randomized CT studies: diameter of the portal, splenic, and superior mesenteric veins; spleen size; and the presence of ascites, varices, or arterial phase portal venous enhancement. These data were correlated with the flow direction seen on sonography. A small main portal vein was the only sign significantly (p