Measurement of Liver and Spleen Stiffness by Fibroscan in Comparison to other Validated Indices for Non-Invasive Assessment of Esophageal Varices in Egyptian Patients with HCV-Related Cirrhosis

Abstract

Background and Aim: Several investigators have devised non-invasive predictors for presence of esophageal varices (EV) in cirrhotic patients, thus avoiding unnecessary endoscopic screening. This work aimed at evaluating the role of liver and spleen stiffness measurements by Fibroscan in comparison to other validated indices for non-invasive assessment of EV in Egyptian patients with HCV-related cirrhosis. Methods and Material: This cross-sectional study included sixty patients with HCV-related cirrhosis who underwent complete clinical evaluation, laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography, liver and spleen stiffness measurements (LSM and SSM) using Fibroscan and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Also, non-invasive predictive scores were calculated: AST-to-ALT ratio (AAR), platelet count/spleen diameter ratio (PSR) and AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI). The diagnostic performance of each parameter was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Patients were classified into two groups; Group 1: 33 patients (55%) with EV, and Group 2: 27 patients (45%) with no EV. There was a highly significant difference between the two groups regarding spleen diameter, PSR, APRI, LSM and SSM (P < 0.01). SSM showed a good performance as regards EV detection in comparison to LSM. At cut-off value ≥ 29 for SSM, sensitivity was 94.4%, specificity 86.4%, PPV 85% and NPV 95% (AUROC 0.934). Conclusion: Spleen stiffness measurement is a sensitive and reliable tool for detection of EV.