Hepatic hemodynamics and elevation of liver stiffness as possible predictive markers of late-onset hepatic failure

Abstract

A 52-year-old Japanese woman admitted to our hospital for the treatment of liver dysfunction due to an undetermined cause developed disorientation on the 58th hospital day and was diagnosed with late-onset liver failure. Abdominal ultrasound examinations were performed several times from the admission. Before the disorientation appeared, the results of the examinations revealed that the portal flow decreased, after which the hepatic arterial flow increased and the degree of liver stiffness became elevated. Although the pathophysiology of these changes remains unclear, hemodynamic changes and elevation of liver stiffness might be predictive markers of severe liver tissue damage.