Diagnosis Of Esophageal Varices In Patients Research Articles

Platelet Count to Prothrombin Time: A Noninvasive Predictor of Esophageal Varices in Patients With Chronic Liver Disease.

Introduction Esophageal variceal bleeding is a potentially deadly consequence of portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. Although upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is still the preferred method for identifying esophageal varices (EV), the present study measured the platelet count to prothrombin time (PLT/PT) ratio for the assessment of portal hypertension and subsequent diagnosis of EVs in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Methods This was an observationalcomparative study conducted in the outpatient department of Patel Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Ethical approval was obtained from the Patel Hospital ethical review committee (PH/IRB/2022/028). An independent sample t-test was used for parametric data, whereas the Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-parametric data. The chi-square test was used to compare the categorical data of patients with and without EV. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the cutoff values for the PLT/PT ratio, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC). Results The study involved 105 patients with and without EV. Among them, 38 (63.3%) males and 22 (36.7%) females had EV, whereas 30 (66.7%) males and 15 (33.3%) females did not. The platelet (PLT) count was also significantly lower in patients with EV (87.6 ± 59.8) than in those without (176.6 ± 87.7) (p < 0.001). The PLT/PT ratio was significantly lower in patients with EV (median: 5.04, IQR: 3.12-9.21) compared to those without (median: 14.57, IQR: 8.08-20.58) (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the PLT/PT ratio for identifying EVs were 97.80% and 83.30%, respectively. Conclusion We found a significantly lower PLT/PT ratio in cases with EV than those without EV. After defining an optimal cutoff, PLT/PT had a high sensitivity in identifying cases with EVs in CLD. Therefore, we conclude that in patients with CLD, the PLT/PT ratio is a noninvasive predictor for the presence of EV.

Performance of Platelet Count/Spleen Diameter Ratio for Diagnosis of Esophageal Varices in Cirrhosis: A Meta-Analysis

Platelet count/spleen diameter ratio (PSR) is a non-invasive method for the assessment of esophageal varices (EV), developed as an alternative to endoscopy. To assess the performance of PSR for diagnosis of EV using meta-analysis. PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, ISI web of Knowledge, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and article references were searched. We included studies using endoscopy as a reference standard, with the data necessary to calculate the true and false positive, true and false negative diagnostic results of PSR for EV. The quality of the studies was rated with the QUADAS tool. The hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) was used to examine the PSR accuracy for the diagnosis of EV. Heterogeneity was explored using meta-regression. Clinical utility of PSR for EV was evaluated by a Fagan plot. In 20 studies (n = 3,063), the HSROC of the PSR for EV was 0.95 at various thresholds. At the threshold of 909, the summary sensitivities and specificities were 0.92 (95% CI, 0.79-0.97) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.76-0.93), respectively. The HSROC was also 0.95 at the threshold of 909. If PSR was below 909 for EV ("positive" result), the post-test probability (if pre-test probability was 50%) was 87%, while if PSR was at or over 909 ("negative" result), the post-test probability was only 9%. PSR also had a high accuracy in diagnosis of EV in patients with compensated cirrhosis. PSR can identify EV in cirrhosis with a high accuracy. Application of this index may decrease the need for endoscopy among cirrhotic patients.

External Validation of the Platelet Count/Spleen Diameter Ratio for the Diagnosis of Esophageal Varices in Hepatitis C Virus-Related Cirrhosis

Screening for esophageal varices (EV) is an important part of the diagnostic workup of cirrhotic patients. To independently validate the use of the platelet count/spleen diameter ratio for the non-invasive diagnosis of EV in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis and in a sub-group of patients with compensated disease. A platelet count/spleen diameter ratio cut-off value of 909 was evaluated for the diagnosis of EV in the whole population (n = 311) and in patients with compensated disease alone (n = 114). Compensated disease was defined as the absence of ascites as detected by abdominal ultrasound in patients who are not on diuretics and absence of hepatic encephalopathy. In the whole cohort (EV prevalence 49.5%), the platelet count/spleen diameter ratio 909 cut-off value had 96.9% positive predictive value, 100% negative predictive value, and 98.4% efficiency for EV diagnosis. In compensated cirrhotics (EV prevalence 26.3%), the platelet count/spleen diameter ratio 909 cut-off showed an excellent negative predictive value (100%) and a positive predictive value of 93.8%. for the diagnosis of EV. In patients with HCV-related cirrhosis, the platelet count/spleen diameter may be proposed as a non-invasive tool for EV diagnosis, especially in financially deprived developing countries.