TY - JOUR AU - Bhattarai, Subash AU - Dewan, Khus Raj AU - Shrestha, Gaurav AU - Patowary, Bhanumati Saikia PY - 2017/09/30 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Non-Invasive Predictors of Gastro-Oesophageal Varices JF - Journal of Nepal Medical Association JA - J Nepal Med Assoc VL - 56 IS - 207 SE - Original Article DO - 10.31729/jnma.3202 UR - http://www.jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/3202 SP - 298-303 AB - <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Introduction:</strong> </span>The worldwide accepted tool for screening and monitoring gastro-oesophageal varices</p><p class="p1">in patients with liver cirrhosis is upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Endoscopy needs clinical expertise</p><p class="p1">and has got its own procedure related complications. Repeated endoscopies may be expensive and</p><p class="p1">patients tend to develop poor compliance. This study was undertaken to establish the role of noninvasive</p><p class="p1">parameters in predicting gastro-esophageal varices.</p><p class="p2"><strong>Methods:</strong> Two hundred patients with clinical features, laboratory and sonological findings</p><p class="p1">suggestive of cirrhosis of liver and endoscopic evidence of portal hypertension were included in the</p><p class="p1">study. Blood parameters like serum albumin, international normalized ratio (INR), platelets count</p><p class="p1">and ultrasonography assessments of portal vein diameter and spleen size were compared with</p><p class="p1">presence of gastro-oesophageal varices.</p><p class="p2"><strong>Results:</strong> At cutoff point of 2.55g/dl, serum albumin had high specificity of 99% whereas platelets</p><p class="p1">count &lt;1,44,000/mm<span class="s2">3 </span>had 87.9% sensitivity for presence of oesophageal varices. Sensitivities of</p><p class="p2">92.72% and 94.5% while specificities of 90% and 75% were detected for presence of oesophageal</p><p class="p1">varices when the cutoff values for portal vein diameter and spleen size were 12.25 mm and 13.9 cm</p><p class="p1">respectively.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> </span>Measurements of serum albumin, platelets count, portal vein diameter and spleen size</p><p class="p1">by ultrasonography can be recommended as a non-invasive predictor for gastro-oesophageal varices</p><p class="p1">in cirrhosis of liver. All these non-invasive parameters could be useful to patients with liver cirrhosis</p><p class="p1">with portal hypertension in predicting presence of varices as well as in long-term clinical monitoring</p><p class="p1">and management.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s3"><strong>Keywords:</strong> </span>cirrhosis of liver; endoscopy; gastro-oesophageal varices; non-invasive predictors.</p> ER -