title: Factor VIIa-antithrombin complexes in patients with non-neoplastic portal vein thrombosis with and without cirrhosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is caused by local and systemic prothrombotic risk factors. In this case-control study, we evaluated the use of the Factor VIIa-antithrombin complex (FVIIa-AT) complex assay as a hypercoagulability marker in patients with PVT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two different groups of cases were considered: (i) n = 12 noncirrhotic PVT patients, (ii) n = 33 cirrhotic patients with PVT. Controls were sex and age-matched healthy volunteers and cirrhotic subjects without PVT, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of the FVIIa-AT complex were significantly higher in noncirrhotic PVT subjects (132 ± 32 pM) than in healthy volunteers (108 ± 18 pM, P = 0.04). No significant difference in FVIIa-AT complexes was seen between cirrhotic patients with (64 ± 20 pM) or without (61 ± 24 pM) PVT. A linear correlation was seen between FVIIa-AT and FVIIa in noncirrhotic PVT subjects. In cirrhotic patients, FVIIa-AT complexes depended on both FVIIa and AT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results confirm the utility of the FVIIa-AT assay in identifying the hypercoagulable state of noncirrhotic patients because of a previous thrombotic event.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiologic, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences, 2nd Chair of Internal Medicine, University of Padua Medical School, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rossetto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spiezia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senzolo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gavasso
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Woodhams
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simioni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015942:Factor VIIa / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000503:physiopathology; D015854:Up-Regulation; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000990:Antithrombin III; D015942:Factor VIIa