Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults

Onoda, Airi; Murayama, Michito; Wadayama, Moe; Kobayashi, Sumika; Tsukamoto, Maho; Iwai, Takahito; Omotehara, Satomi; Kudo, Yusuke; Nishida, Mutsumi; Kaga, Sanae

doi:10.3390/app15179334

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Open AccessArticle

Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults

by

Airi Onoda

¹,

Michito Murayama

^2,*

,

Moe Wadayama

¹,

Sumika Kobayashi

^1,3,

Maho Tsukamoto

^1,4,

Takahito Iwai

^4,5

,

Satomi Omotehara

^4,5

,

Yusuke Kudo

^4,5,

Mutsumi Nishida

^5,6

and

Sanae Kaga

^2,5,*

¹

Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12, W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan

²

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12, W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan

³

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hokkaido Cardiovascular Hospital, S27, W13, 1-30, Chuo-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-8622, Japan

⁴

Division of Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, N14, W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8648, Japan

⁵

Diagnostic Center for Sonography, Hokkaido University Hospital, N14, W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8648, Japan

⁶

Management Strategy Department, Hokkaido University Hospital, N14 W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8648, Japan

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(17), 9334; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179334

Submission received: 15 July 2025 / Revised: 21 August 2025 / Accepted: 21 August 2025 / Published: 25 August 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering)

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Abstract

Portal venous (PV) flow Doppler velocimetry assesses venous congestion in heart failure, showing PV pulsatility due to backward transmission of right atrial pressure (RAP) through the sinusoids. However, PV pulsatility has also been observed under physiological conditions. We aimed to elucidate the mechanisms and contributing factors of PV pulsatility in healthy adults. Pulsed-wave Doppler recordings of the hepatic venous (HV) and PV flow were obtained with electrocardiography. A- and V-wave velocities and their timings relative to the P- and R-waves (P-HV_A, R-HV_V) were measured from the HV waveforms. From PV waveforms, atrial and ventricular systolic descent flow velocities and their timings (P-PV_A, R-PV_V) were measured. The PV pulsatility index (VPI) was calculated. There were no differences between P-PV_A and P-HV_A, and between R-PV_V and R-HV_V, indicating similar waveforms. Seventy-nine percent of participants showed a VPI ≥ 0.3, with a higher VPI in younger vs. older participants (0.7 vs. 0.3, p < 0.01). Only age was independently associated with VPI (β = −0.56, p < 0.01). PV pulsatility was common in healthy adults, suggesting RAP transmission via the sinusoids; this physiological phenomenon was attenuated with aging. These findings highlight the importance of considering age-related physiological changes when interpreting the PV flow.

Keywords: portal venous flow; hepatic venous flow; right atrial pressure; pulsatility; Doppler waveform

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MDPI and ACS Style

Onoda, A.; Murayama, M.; Wadayama, M.; Kobayashi, S.; Tsukamoto, M.; Iwai, T.; Omotehara, S.; Kudo, Y.; Nishida, M.; Kaga, S. Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 9334. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179334

AMA Style

Onoda A, Murayama M, Wadayama M, Kobayashi S, Tsukamoto M, Iwai T, Omotehara S, Kudo Y, Nishida M, Kaga S. Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(17):9334. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179334

Chicago/Turabian Style

Onoda, Airi, Michito Murayama, Moe Wadayama, Sumika Kobayashi, Maho Tsukamoto, Takahito Iwai, Satomi Omotehara, Yusuke Kudo, Mutsumi Nishida, and Sanae Kaga. 2025. "Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults" Applied Sciences 15, no. 17: 9334. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179334

APA Style

Onoda, A., Murayama, M., Wadayama, M., Kobayashi, S., Tsukamoto, M., Iwai, T., Omotehara, S., Kudo, Y., Nishida, M., & Kaga, S. (2025). Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults. Applied Sciences, 15(17), 9334. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179334

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Physiological Mechanism of Pulsatility of Portal Venous Flow in Healthy Adults

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