Laura Turco1, Candid Villanueva2, Vincenzo La Mura3, Juan Carlos García-Pagán4, Thomas Reiberger5, Joan Genescà6, Roberto J Groszmann7, Barjesh C Sharma8, Carlo Merkel9, Christophe Bureau10, Edilmar Alvarado2, Juan Gonzalez Abraldes11, Agustin Albillos12, Rafael Bañares13, Markus Peck-Radosavljevic14, Salvador Augustin6, Shiv K Sarin8, Jaime Bosch15, Guadalupe García-Tsao16. 1. Division of Gastroenterology, Azienda Ospedaliero, Universitaria di Modena, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; PhD Program in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. 2. Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. 3. Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Medicina Generale - Emostasi e Trombosi, Milano, Italy; Centro Ricerca e Cura "Angela Maria ed Antonio Migliavacca" per lo Studio e la Cura delle Malattie del Fegato and Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy. 4. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Barcelona Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 5. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 6. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Liver Unit, Department of Medicine, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 7. Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Section of Digestive Diseases, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut. 8. Department of Gastroenterology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, New Delhi, India. 9. Department of Medicine Dipartimento di Medicina and Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sulla Modellistica delle Alterazioni Neuropsichiche in Medicina Clinica, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. 10. Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Purpan Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. 11. Cirrhosis Care Clinic, Division of Gastroenterology (Liver Unit), University of Alberta, Centre of Excellence for Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Immunity Research, Edmonton, Canada. 12. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, University of Alcalá, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain. 13. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. 14. Vienna Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Klinikum Klagenfurth am Wörthersee, Klagenfurth, Austria. 15. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Barcelona Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Swiss Liver Center, Hepatology, University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 16. Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Section of Digestive Diseases, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut. Electronic address: guadalupe.garcia-tsao@yale.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: In unselected patients with cirrhosis, those with reductions in hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) to below a defined threshold (responders) have a reduced risk of variceal hemorrhage (VH) and death. We performed a meta-analysis to compare this effect in patients with vs without ascites. METHODS: We collected data from 15 studies of primary or secondary prophylaxis of VH that reported data on VH and death in responders vs nonresponders. We included studies in which data on ascites at baseline and on other relevant outcomes during follow-up evaluation were available. We performed separate meta-analyses for patients with vs without ascites. RESULTS: Of the 1113 patients included in the studies, 968 patients (87%) had been treated with nonselective β-blockers. In 993 patients (89%), HVPG response was defined as a decrease of more than 20% from baseline (>10% in 11% of patients) or to less than 12 mm Hg. In the 661 patients without ascites, responders (n = 329; 50%) had significantly lower odds of events (ascites, VH, or encephalopathy) than nonresponders (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.22-0.56). Odds of death or liver transplantation were also significantly lower among responders than nonresponders (OR, 0.50, 95% CI, 0.32-0.78). In the 452 patients with ascites, responders (n = 188; 42%) had significantly lower odds of events (VH, refractory ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, or hepatorenal syndrome) than nonresponders (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.16-0.43). Overall, odds of death or liver transplantation were lower among responders (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29-0.75). No heterogeneity was observed among studies. CONCLUSIONS: In a meta-analysis of clinical trials, we found that patients with cirrhosis with and without ascites who respond to treatment with nonselective β-blockers (based on reductions in HVPG) have a reduced risk of events, death, or liver transplantation.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: In unselected patients with cirrhosis, those with reductions in hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) to below a defined threshold (responders) have a reduced risk of variceal hemorrhage (VH) and death. We performed a meta-analysis to compare this effect in patients with vs without ascites. METHODS: We collected data from 15 studies of primary or secondary prophylaxis of VH that reported data on VH and death in responders vs nonresponders. We included studies in which data on ascites at baseline and on other relevant outcomes during follow-up evaluation were available. We performed separate meta-analyses for patients with vs without ascites. RESULTS: Of the 1113 patients included in the studies, 968 patients (87%) had been treated with nonselective β-blockers. In 993 patients (89%), HVPG response was defined as a decrease of more than 20% from baseline (>10% in 11% of patients) or to less than 12 mm Hg. In the 661 patients without ascites, responders (n = 329; 50%) had significantly lower odds of events (ascites, VH, or encephalopathy) than nonresponders (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.22-0.56). Odds of death or liver transplantation were also significantly lower among responders than nonresponders (OR, 0.50, 95% CI, 0.32-0.78). In the 452 patients with ascites, responders (n = 188; 42%) had significantly lower odds of events (VH, refractory ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, or hepatorenal syndrome) than nonresponders (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.16-0.43). Overall, odds of death or liver transplantation were lower among responders (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29-0.75). No heterogeneity was observed among studies. CONCLUSIONS: In a meta-analysis of clinical trials, we found that patients with cirrhosis with and without ascites who respond to treatment with nonselective β-blockers (based on reductions in HVPG) have a reduced risk of events, death, or liver transplantation.
Authors: Guruprasad P Aithal; Naaventhan Palaniyappan; Louise China; Suvi Härmälä; Lucia Macken; Jennifer M Ryan; Emilie A Wilkes; Kevin Moore; Joanna A Leithead; Peter C Hayes; Alastair J O'Brien; Sumita Verma Journal: Gut Date: 2020-10-16 Impact factor: 23.059