title: Lack of prognostic usefulness of hepatic venous pressures and hemodynamic values in a select group of patients with severe alcoholic cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prognostic assessment of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis is still controversial. A prospective study was performed to evaluate hemodynamic values as prognostic factors of death in a group of patients with severe alcoholic cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January, 1991 to February, 1993, a total of 87 admitted patients were prospectively studied. Measurements of the hepatic venous pressure gradient and cardiac output were performed in all patients. The mean follow-up was 35 months (range 1-76 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  During this period, 56 patients (63% at 5 yr) died. The hepatic venous pressure gradient and cardiac output were not significantly different between the two groups. Using univariate analysis, only age and bilirubin concentration were different between those patients who lived and those who died. Cox regression analysis showed that age, encephalopathy, bilirubin concentration. prothrombin time, and Child-Pugh score were the only prognostic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient is not helpful in the prognostic assessment in a select group of patients with severe alcoholic cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Hémodynamique Splanchnique et de Biologie Vasculaire, INSERM-481 and Service d'Hépatologie, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deltenre
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rufat
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hillaire
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elman
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valla
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lebrec
mesh_terms: D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D002302:Cardiac Output; D005260:Female; D006503:Hepatic Veins; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014690:Venous Pressure
chemical_list: D001663:Bilirubin