Research Article: Predicting the Severity of Esophageal Varices in Patients with Hepatic Cirrhosis Using Non-Invasive Markers
Abstract:
Liver cirrhosis (LC) often causes portal hypertension by changing the structure of hepatic tissue and blood flow in the liver. There are numerous collateral vessels between the portal vein and the vena cava. When there is high pressure in the portal vein to allow blood to flow back from the congested portal vein system, these collateral vessels open up in large numbers to establish collateral circulation. One of the main collateral circulations is the variances between the lower part of the esophagus and the gastric fundus veins. Portal hypertension is strongly associated with esophageal varices (EV). Hence, patients with chronic liver disease often have EV. The incidence of progression to EV is approximately % per year. It is estimated that % to % of patients with EV will have at least one episode of hemorrhaging as a result of a ruptured varix., A major cause of death in patients with cirrhosis is esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB). The EVB-related mortality rate at six weeks has been reported to be as high as % to %.
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