Abstract
Objectives-The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship between spleen stiffness measured by transient elastography and the degree of thrombocytopenia in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods-A total of 67 patients with liver cirrhosis were prospectively enrolled in the study. All patients underwent single-day hematologic and biochemical tests, sonography, and transient elastography of the liver and spleen. Thrombocytopenia was categorized as mild (platelet count, 75,000-150,000/μL), moderate (50,000-75,000/μL), and severe (<50,000/μL). Results-The degree of thrombocytopenia was significantly correlated with spleen stiffness (P = .001) and spleen size (P = .002) but not with liver stiffness (P = .086). In patients without splenomegaly, spleen stiffness values were significantly higher in patients with thrombocytopenia than in those without thrombocytopenia (P = .035). In patients with splenomegaly, spleen stiffness values were significantly higher in patients with moderate to severe thrombocytopenia than in those with a normal platelet count or mild thrombocytopenia (P = .007). Compared to liver stiffness, spleen stiffness showed a better and statistically significant correlation with platelet count and spleen size in patients with cirrhosis. Conclusions-The degree of thrombocytopenia was directly correlated with spleen stiffness, irrespective of the presence of splenomegaly. The clinical phenomenon of unexpected thrombocytopenia may be explained by a subtle or irreversible change in spleen stiffness.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1849-1857 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 01 09 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2016 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.
Keywords
- Gastrointestinal ultrasound
- Liver cirrhosis
- Liver stiffness
- Spleen stiffness
- Splenomegaly
- Thrombocytopenia
- Transient elastography