RESUMO
Objective To investigate the value of transient elastography (FibroScan) and platelet count-to-spleen thickness (PC/ST) ratio in predicting the degree of esophageal and gastric varices (EGV) in liver cirrhosis. Methods A total of 210 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent FibroScan, color Doppler ultrasound, electronic gastroscopy, and blood biochemical examination within three days after admission to The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to September 2020 were enrolled, and according to the "gold standard" of gastroscopy, the patients were divided into none, mild, moderate, and severe EGV groups. A one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis H test were used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted for liver stiffness measurement (LSM), PC/ST ratio, and LSM+PC/ST, and the diagnostic performance of these ROC curves was compared using the Delong method. Results There were significant differences between the none, mild, moderate, and severe EGV groups in LSM ( F =32.00, P < 0.01) and PC/ST ratio ( H =49.58, P < 0.01). For the mild EGV group, LSM, PC/ST ratio, and LSM+PC/ST had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.762, 0.656, and 0.770, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 75.4%, 60.2%, and 82.5%, respectively, and a negative predictive value of 75.0%, 75.8%, and 65.4%, respectively. For the moderate EGV group, LSM, PC/ST ratio, and LSM+PC/ST had an AUC of 0.841, 0.796, and 0.896, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 86.1%, 68.0%, and 74.1%, respectively, and a negative predictive value of 79.7%, 80.5%, and 90.2%, respectively. For the severe EGV group, LSM, PC/ST ratio, and LSM+PC/ST had an AUC of 0.834, 0.830, and 0.903, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 80.5%, 71.4%, and 79.5%, respectively, and a negative predictive value of 82.5%, 83.6%, and 85.0%, respectively. PC/ST ratio and LSM+PC/ST had significantly different AUC in predicting mild, moderate, and severe EGV ( Z =2.66, P =0.007; Z =2.71, P =0.007; Z =2.37, P =0.018). Conclusion LSM, PC/ST ratio, and LSM+PC/ST have a good predictive value for moderate-to-severe EGV in liver cirrhosis.