The effect of acute (80 mg orally) and prolonged (240 mg orally daily for 2 weeks) verapamil administration on portal blood flow was studied in 12 patients with histologically proved alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Portal hemodynamics were examined by the ultrasonic duplex Doppler system. Thirty minutes after acute verapamil administration, the following parameters remained unchanged: (1) cross-sectional area of the portal vein, from 1.52 +/- 0.41 to 1.51 +/- 0.43 cm2; (2) portal blood velocity, from 13.2 +/- 1.6 to 13.4 +/- 1.6 cm/s; (3) estimated volume of portal blood flow, from 931 +/- 96 to 954 +/- 103 mL/min; and (4) congestion index of the portal vein, from 15.1 +/- 8.3 to 15.6 +/- 8.8 cm, respectively (P = > 0.05). In addition, no significant changes in portal blood hemodynamics were noted after prolonged verapamil administration (P > 0.05). These results demonstrated that verapamil did not alter portal blood flow in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.