Dopplerographic hemodynamic predictive parameters for portal hypertension associated with hepatic cirrhosis

Abstract

Background: Early diagnosis of diffuse chronic liver pathologies greatly improves the treatment and pathology evolution prior to the installing of the irreversible fibrosis and cirrhosis. Color duplex Doppler ultrasonography appears to offer a number of advantages (accessibility, repeatability, etc.) in identifying asymptomatic patients and a satisfactory accuracy in assessing liver morphology and hepato-lien system hemodynamics. In order to identify hemodynamic indicators with acceptable significance estimating portal hypertension associated with liver cirrhosis in the study a detailed analysis of changes in hepatic vascular flow examined by color duplex Doppler ultrasound is performed. Material and methods: The research group included 155 patients with varying degrees of fibrosis. Quantification of the fibrosis degree was based on the results of transient Fibroscan elastography, according to the Metavir score (1-4). Evaluation of portal hemodynamics in all patients was done using duplex Doppler ultrasound, hemodynamic indices estimation was performed on arterial and venous side. Results: Reducing time-weighted average velocity in the portal vein, increasing the flow volume in the lien vein basin, vascular resistance increase at the level of lien artery, offers significant predictive values in identifying portal hypertension associated with liver cirrhosis. Conclusions: Colored duplex Doppler ultrasound comprehensive approach of splenoportal hemodynamics showed hemodynamic indicators of unimportant significance for the prediction of cirrogene portal hypertension.