title: Evaluation of serum aminoterminal procollagen type III propeptide as an index of portal hypertension and esophageal varices in chronic liver diseases.
abstract: The concentration of the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (P-III-P) was determined in serum of cubital vein and hepatic vein of patients with various types of chronic liver diseases (n = 111) and correlated with the portal venous pressure and with the degree of esophageal varices. The P-III-P level in all chronic liver diseases was correlated (rS 0.542, p less than 0.001) with the portal venous pressure, but in liver fibrotic subjects (n = 29) this correlation (rS 0.310) was not significant, in liver cirrhosis (n = 30) the respective correlation was found to be weak (rS 0.333, p less than 0.05) and similar to that in patients with unspecified chronic liver diseases (n = 52) (rS 0.425, p less than 0.01). Sensitivity and specificity of P-III-P at a cut-off concentration of 12 ng/ml for portal hypertension (portal vein pressure 5 mm Hg) are 0.93 and 0.42, respectively, the diagnostic efficiency is 0.67. Predictive values at the same cut-off level of P-III-P and an assumed prevalence of portal hypertension of 50% are 0.62 and 0.85 for the positive and negative test result, respectively. The level of P-III-P is not related to the degree of esophageal varices. The mean P-III-P concentration in the hepatic vein was found to be significantly (p less than 0.001) higher (about 35%) than that in the cubital vein. It is concluded that P-III-P is not an useful parameter for diagnosis of portal hypertension and monitoring of portal vein pressure and of the degree of esophageal varices.
authors: Abteilung für Klinische Chemie und Zentrallaboratorium, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, FRG.
authors: A M
authors: AM
authors: Gressner
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Tittor
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kropf
mesh_terms: D002404:Catheterization; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011347:Procollagen / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen; C041876:procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide