ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the clinical significance of peritoneal and retroperitoneal edema in patients with decompensated cirrhosis(DCC). Methods Forty-four patients were identified with DCC on the basis of clinic and laboratory examinations, except the cases with mesenteric,omental and retroperitoneal edema caused by inflammatory and malignant diseases. The diagnosis of edema depended upon hyperdensity in peritoneal and retroperitoneal. The degree of edema was divided into minor, middle, and sever types based on the extent of edema. Ascites, varices, serum albumin(ALB) levels, and hyaluronicacid(HA) levels were also documented. Correlations between the laboratory and CT findings were analyzed. Results The severity of peritoneal edema was correlated with decreasing serum ALB( r s =0.708 8, P 0.05). Conclusion CT findings of the edema in peritoneal and retroperitoneal may indicate the severity of the liver cirrhosis.