Abstract
BackgroundRuptured esophageal varices (EVs) are a leading cause of death in Portal hypertension (PHT), it has been a big concern of research to screen EVs through non-invasive approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the role of plasma von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF-Ag) assay for early detection of EVs in patients with portal hypertension. This was a cross-sectional study, done on 47 portal hypertensive children and adolescents who were collected from the Pediatrics Hepatology Clinic, Children Hospital, Ain Shams University. All patients were subjected to comprehensive history taking, thorough clinical examination, routine investigations, abdominal ultrasound, upper GI endoscopy, and measurement of plasma VWF-Ag level. The patients were divided based on their endoscopic findings into two groups; a varices group which included 37 patients, and a non-varices group which included 10 patients.ResultsVWF-Ag rise significantly in patients with EVs, revealing a direct positive association with the degree of EVs.ConclusionThe plasma VWF-Ag can be applied as a non-invasive evidence of the presence and grading of EVs.
Highlights
Ruptured esophageal varices (EVs) are a leading cause of death in Portal hypertension (PHT), it has been a big concern of research to screen Esophageal varices (EV) through non-invasive approaches
VWF is a big multimeric protein with a vital function in the hemostasis process, as proven by the serious hemorrhage tendency combined with entire VWF insufficiency [4]; on the other hand, higher values of VWF are linked to thrombosis in arteries [5]
This work aimed to compare plasma von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF-Ag) levels between variceal and non-variceal groups to assess its reliability as a predictor of varices presence, in addition, to assess if plasma VWF-Ag in variceal cases directly correlates with variceal grade
Summary
Ruptured esophageal varices (EVs) are a leading cause of death in Portal hypertension (PHT), it has been a big concern of research to screen EVs through non-invasive approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the role of plasma von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF-Ag) assay for early detection of EVs in patients with portal hypertension. This was a cross-sectional study, done on 47 portal hypertensive children and adolescents who were collected from the Pediatrics Hepatology Clinic, Children Hospital, Ain Shams University. Ruptured esophageal varices (EVs) are a main cause of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis and 30% may experience as a minimum one episode of variceal hemorrhage within a year of detection of varices [2]. VWF is a big multimeric protein with a vital function in the hemostasis process, as proven by the serious hemorrhage tendency combined with entire VWF insufficiency [4]; on the other hand, higher values of VWF are linked to thrombosis in arteries [5].
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