Background: Increased right ventricular pressure in congestive heart disease is transmitted to the inferior caval vein and the hepatic veins and is essential to our understanding of haemodynamic changes in congestive liver disease. By ultrasonography we aimed to reveal haemodynamic changes within the renal parenchyma as well.
Material and methods: In 23 patients with serious congestive heart disease we ultrasonographically measured portal pulsatility ratio, maximal velocity in the hepatic vein during atrial contraction and in systole, the vena cava inferior diameter and collapsibility index, and renal resistive and pulsatility indexes. In a control group, ultrasonography was performed in 23 patients without heart disease.
Results: Statistically significant differences between the groups were found on all parameters measured at ultrasonography. In patients with congestive heart disease, the serum creatinine was higher than in the control group.
Interpretation: Congestive heart disease causes caval hypertension and thus increased pressure within the renal vein. Patients with congestive heart disease have increased renal resistive and pulsatility indexes, which can be explained by increased venous pressure within then renal parenchyma.