title: The correlation between Doppler US measurement of hepatic arterial flow and the MELD score in patients with chronic liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and hepatic arterial hemodynamic parameters measured via Doppler US.
  
  
  METHODS
  Etiologic causes and hepatic artery hemodynamic parameters of 121 patients with chronic liver parenchymal disease were compared with MELD scores.  Doppler ultrasonography (US) was used to assess flow velocity, pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) in the hepatic artery (HA). Each patient's MELD scores were calculated at the time of Doppler ultrasound performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was statistically significant difference between MELD score and hepatic artery RI value (p < 0.001, r = 0.616). This difference was statistically more significant in the group which consisted of multiple etiologic causes (p < 0.001, r = 0.837).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found significant relation between MELD score and hepatic artery RI measurements in patients with chronic liver parenchymal disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Uludag, Turkey. nailebolca@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Topal
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sarkut
authors.forename: H Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Dündar
authors.forename: A U
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Şahin
authors.forename: İ
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ayyıldız
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: İşçimen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiyici
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Emiroglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler