title: [Clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in evaluating portal hypertension in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), and to develop a new noninvasive method for the evaluation of portal hypertension in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis were examined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and the dynamic images were collected for offline analysis. The contrast arrival time was obtained in the hepatic artery (HA), portal vein (PV), and hepatic vein (HV), and HA-HV transit time (HA-HVTT) and PV-HV transit time (PV-HVTT) were calculated. At the same time, HVPG was measured within 24 hours after contrast-enhanced ultrasound, Pearson correlation analysis was performed between each parameter and HVPG, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also used for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HV arrival time (HVAT), HA-HVTT, and PV-HVTT were negatively correlated with HVPG (r = -0.385, -0.409, and -0.572, respectively). The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) was 0.903 for PV-HVTT < 2.5 s in judging HVPG≥ l0 mmHg in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, and the sensitivity and specificity were 74.4% and 89.5%, respectively. The AUROC was 0.861 for PV-HVTT < 1.5 s in judging HVPG≥l6 mmHg in these patients, and the sensitivity and specificity were 80.4% and 81.5%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HVAT and intrahepatic transit time demonstrate negative linear correlations with HVPG in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, and among all parameters, PV-HVTT shows the strongest correlation with HVPG and can be used to determine and predict the severity of portal hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017082:Portal Pressure; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media