Abstract: Objective To investigate the characteristics of portal systemic collateral circulation in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis by CT portal venography. Methods Sixty-three patients with alcoholic or HBV cirrhosis were analyzed retrospectively. The characteristics of esophageal varices,gastric varices, gastrorenal and/or splenorenal varices and paraumbilical varices were studied and compared. The esophageal varices were classfied into periesophageal and paraesophageal varices according to their location. Results Compared to the HBV cirrhosis, the esophageal varices in alcoholic cirrhosis were more prone to locate on paraesophageal site and its blood supply often came from non-anterior branches dominant of the left gastric vein. The diameter of the gastrorenal/spleenrenal varices was often larger than 5 cm and the paraumbilical varices can be seen more often in alcoholic cirrhosis. However, the blood supply of the gastric varices showed no difference between the two kinds of liver cirrhosis. Conclusion Some features of collateral circulation in alcoholic cirrhosis can be shown on CTPV. It is of important value in getting the message of the portosystemic circulation and selecting treatment of both kind of liver cirrhosis.

Key words: alcohol, liver cirrhosis, collateral circulation, CT, portal venography