Abstract
The concentration of the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (P-III-P) was determined in serum of cubital vein and hepatic vein of patients with various types of chronic liver diseases ( n = 111) and correlated with the portal venous pressure and with the degree of esophageal varices. The P-III-P level in all chronic liver diseases was correlated ( r s 0.542, p < 0.001 ) with the portal venous pressure, but in liver fibrotic subjects ( n = 29) this correlation ( r s 0.310) was not significant, in liver cirrhosis ( n = 30) the respective correlation was found to be weak ( r s 0.333, p < 0.05 ) and similar to that in patients with unspecified chronic liver diseases ( n = 52) ( r s 0.425, p < 0.01). Sensitivity and specificity of P-III-P at a cut-off concentration of 12 ng/ml for portal hypertension (portal vein pressure 5 mm Hg) are 0.93 and 0.42, respectively, the diagnostic efficiency is 0.67. Predictive values at the same cut-off level of P-III-P and an assumed prevalence of portal hypertension of 50% are 0.62 and 0.85 for the positive and negative test result, respectively. The level of P-III-P is not related to the degree of esophageal varices. The mean P-III-P concentration in the hepatic vein was found to be significantly ( p < 0.001) higher (about 35%) than that in the cubital vein. It is concluded that P-III-P is not an useful parameter for diagnosis of portal hypertension and monitoring of portal vein pressure and of the degree of esophageal varices.
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