title: [Five-year follow-up of clinical and laboratory data of early liver cirrhosis patients confirmed by liver biopsy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is important to evaluate the general status of the liver including the structural and inflammatory aspects, as well as the functional aspects, in order to determine a patient's treatment modality and prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  55 Child-Pugh class A liver cirrhosis patients confirmed by liver biopsy have been categorized into 4 groups based on the shunt index and p-value(Y= 3.3431-0.8160 ALT/AST ratio-0.0343 X prothrombin time+2.6963 X shunt index, p = e(y)/(e(y)+1)), which was obtained by Thallium- 201 scan; group I - shunt index less than 0.3 and p-value less than 0.7; group II - shunt index less than 0.3 and p-value more than 0.7; group III - shunt index more than 0.3 and p-value less than 0.7; and group IV - shunt index more than 0.3 and p-value more than 0.7. Statistical analyses used were ANOVA, paired t-test, and Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1. The laboratory data after a 5-year follow-up also showed a significant difference between four groups. 2. In group IV, the Child-Pugh class after 5 years worsened, and complications of liver cirrhosis such as esophageal varix, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy occurred more frequently. 3. In group II, the laboratory data after a 5-year follow-up indicated some improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It can be seen that even early in patients with initially the same cirrhosis, the course of the illness can progress to a variety of different situations. The measurement of shunt index and the p-value of cirrhosis will be more helpful in the follow-up evaluation and predicting its prognostic index in liver cirrhosis patients.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Digestive Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Uk
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Geun Tae
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Dong Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Hyun Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Young Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Gon
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Jin Bae
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ho Soon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Joon Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hahm
authors.forename: Min Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008102:Liver Circulation; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis