Portal vein pulsatility and spectral width changes in patients with portal hypertension: relation to the severity of liver disease.

Using Doppler ultrasound in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and portal hypertension, portal vein pulsatility pattern and spectral width changes were assessed and evaluated in relation to the severity of liver disease as determined according to the Child-Pugh score. The pulsatility index (PI) was significantly lower in CLD patients (mean+/-SD: 0.23+/-0.08) compared with healthy subjects (0.39+/-0.1) (p<0.001) and lower in Child-Pugh class C compared with Child-Pugh class A patients (0.21+/-0.07 vs 0.25+/-0.08, respectively) (p<0.05). The spectral width index was significantly higher in CLD patients vs healthy subjects (0.91+/-0.16 vs 0.60+/-0.12, respectively) (p<0.001). The difference was also noted in the early stage (Child-Pugh A patients) when compared with healthy subjects (0.88+/-0.17). In conclusion, portal vein pulsatility and spectral width indices can reflect the early haemodynamic changes in CLD patients. These changes become more pronounced with the progression of liver disease.