A prospective study was undertaken to determine the variability of hepatic vein Doppler waveforms in normal subjects. Seventy-five patients without liver or heart disease underwent Doppler examination of the middle hepatic vein. Normal triphasic tracings were observed in 68 subjects, while flattened tracings were observed in seven subjects. In addition, in four T he normal velocity curve of the hepatic vein reflects cardiac and respiratory events.t-J A triphasic pattern has been described in normal subjects, while flattening of this curve has been observed in cirrhotic patients and with the Valsalva maneuver.t--' !1 We conducted a study to determine if "abnormal" or flattened hepatic vein tracings are observed in healthy subjects. The effect of prolonged inspiration on the Doppler tracing was also studied.
MATERIALS AND METHODSThe study group consisted of 75 subjects (age, 20-65 years; mean, 43 years) without liver or heart disease. All patients were examined with color flow images and pulsed Doppler tracings. Examinations were performed on a Quad 2000 (Siemens Quantum, Issa· quah, WA) or an ATL UM·9 (ATL,
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