Atrial natriuretic factor in liver cirrhosis--the influence of volume expansion.

Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic factor (ANP) were examined in 12 patients with liver cirrhosis (6 with ascites) and 6 controls before and after the administration of the infusion of 2000 ml of saline solution per 70 kg of body weight during 2 hours. Basal concentration of ANF tended to be slightly, but nonsignificantly higher in patients with ascitic liver cirrhosis (5.5 +/- 1.