Diagnostic value of coagulation tests in liver disease

Abstract

The diagnostic value of five differerent clotting tests were evaluated on 109 patients with acute and chronic liver disease. The tests were performed Hepaplastintest (Normotest), Thrombotest, prothrombin time, active partial thromboplastin time and fibrinogen determination. More than 90% of the patients gave abnormal values in some of the tests.1. Most of the patients with acute hepatitis gave slightly abnormal values and their changes were well correlated to clinical condition. The prognosis of a few patients with markedly decreased levels of hepaplastin test was always poor.2. Most of the patients with chronic hepatitis showed abnormal values. No significant discrepancy was observed between active type and inactive type of the disease.3. The majority of the patients of liver cirrhosis showed marked abnormality. Among the tests, the hepaplastin test seemed to the useful to differentiate the compensative phase from incompensative phase, giving moderately decrease in the former, markedly decrease in the latter.4. The results of hepaplastin test and BSP tolerance test were usually parallel with each other.