Assessment of Doppler haemodynamic changes suggestive of portal hypertension in cirrhotic HCV patients after sustained virological response to direct antiviral agents

Abstract

Abstract Background Egypt has the highest prevalence rate of HCV in the world. About 14.7% of the Egyptian people have HCV antibodies and 9.8% have an active infection. The death rate due to liver disease about 40,000 each year (near10% of all deaths). It is the second after the cardiac diseases. Aim of Work to assess Doppler haemodynamic changes suggestive of portal hypertension in cirrhotic HCV Egyptian patients after sustained virological response to direct antiviral agents, and their correlation with liver stiffness measurements by Fibroscan. Patients and Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted at Viral Hepatitis Unit at Ain Shams University Hospital and Al-Agouza Police Hospital during the period from May 2018 to July 2019. The study included 50 Egyptian treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis on Sofosbuvir, Daclatasvir for 12 weeks. Patients were subjected to history and full physical examination, radiology assessment (Abdominal Ultrasound and color Doppler), Upper GI endoscopy and Fibroscan before treatment and 6 months after treatment. Followed up with CBC, AST, ALT, Total bilirubin, Albumin, creatinine and Coagulation profile before and after 12 weeks of treatment And HCV RNA by PCR and HCV CORE Antigen before and then after 12 weeks of treatment. Results Treatment with sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir for 12weeks resulted in undetectable HCV RNA by PCR in 100% of the patients at the end of treatment. There was a significant improvement in portal hemodynamics 6 months after treatment as well as a significant correlation between Doppler indices and fibroscan. Conclusion: Doppler portal hypertensive parameters, as a marker of portal hypertension, were improved in parallel with the improvement in fibroscan values after viral clearance and its improvement in the current study mandate urgent treatment to avoid possible complications.