Patterns of splenic arterial enhancement on computed tomography are related to changes in portal venous pressure.

Objectives: One of the striking features of splenic imaging is variable heterogeneous gyriform arterial enhancement on dynamic computed tomography (CT). We speculated that these patterns of arterial enhancement may reflect changes in splenic micro-circulation related to changes in portal venous pressure.

Patients And Methods: To test this hypothesis, we evaluated arterial phase CT scans performed before and after liver transplantation (n=91), as this is the most effective way of alleviating portal hypertension.