Relationship between hemodynamic changes of portal vein and hepatic artery measured by color Doppler ultrasound and FibroScan value in patients with liver cirrhosis

Objective To explore the relationship between hemodynamic changes of the portal vein and hepatic artery measured by color Doppler ultrasound and FibroScan value in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods A total of 192 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who were admitted to our hospital from March 2010 to December 2013, as well as 100 healthy persons, were recruited. The mean portal vein blood flow velocity (PVVmean) , hepatic artery pulsatility index ( HAPI) , and hepatic artery resistance index ( HARI) were measured by color Doppler ultrasound. FibroScan was also carried out. All data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 13. 0. Continuous data were expressed as mean ± SD and compared between groups by t- test. Results The HAPI, HARI, and FibroScan value of the patient group were 1. 56 ±0. 24, 0. 73 ± 0. 05, and 25. 38 ± 7. 73, respectively, significantly higher than those of the control group (1. 36 ± 0. 14, 0. 65 ± 0. 07, and7. 8 ± 3. 6) (P < 0. 05) ; the PVVmean of the patient group was 14. 43 ± 1. 86, significantly lower than that of the control group (17. 35 ±0. 56) (P < 0. 05) . FibroScan value was positively correlated with HAPI and HARI (r1= 0. 59, r2= 0. 66, P < 0. 001) , but negatively correlated with PVVmean (r =- 0. 64, P < 0. 001) . Conclusion The liver stiffness assessed by FibroScan and the hemodynamic changes of the portal vein and hepatic artery measured by color Doppler ultrasound are vitally important for evaluating the severity of liver cirrhosis.