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Portal vein thrombosis did not influence liver disease progression in cirrhosis
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Portal vein thrombosis that developed in patients with cirrhosis did not lead to progression of liver disease, according to study data.
Researchers analyzed data from 1,243 adults with cirrhosis (863 with Child’s A, 380 with Child’s B) without portal vein thrombosis (PVT) enrolled in various liver units throughout France and Belgium between June 2000 and March 2006. Patients underwent ultrasound screening for hepatocellular carcinoma to determine any risk factors for PVT. Follow-up was 47 months.
Overall, 118 patients developed PVT, in which 87 had partial obstruction, 17 had complete obstruction and 14 had varied obstruction over time. Nine other patients developed portal vein obstruction due to HCC.
Incidence rates for PVT increased with time: The rate was 4.6% at 1 year, 8.2% at 3 years and 10.7% at 5 years. At baseline, the variables associated with PVT in both occlusive and nonocclusive thrombosis were: alcohol, serum bilirubin level, alanine aminotransferase level, prothrombin time and medium- to large-sized esophageal varices, according to the research.
Multivariate analysis showed age (P = .01), BMI (P = .046), grade of esophageal varices of at least 2 (P = .002), prothrombin time (P = .0002) and serum albumin level (P = .002) to be independent variables associated with liver disease progression. However, further analysis showed that developing PVT before liver disease progressing was associated with a borderline significant increase in the risk of progression (P = .41) and decompensation in the future (P = .44).
“In patients with cirrhosis, the development of PVT is associated with the severity of liver disease at baseline, but does not follow a recent progression of liver disease,” the researchers concluded. “There is no evidence that the development of PVT is responsible for further progression of liver disease.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.