Prevalence of portal vein thrombosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Abstract

Introduction: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication of cirrhosis because of significant modification in the hemostatic balance, especially in decompensated stage. Furthermore, patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) related cirrhosis seems to be at higher risk of PVT development than patients with cirrhosis related to other causative factors. Nevertheless, definitively data in favor of an increased rate of PVT in NAFLD are missing. This meta-analysis attempted to estimate the prevalence of PVT in patients with NAFLD.