[Ultrasonography-guided percutaneous alcohol injection for hepatocellular carcinoma in the cirrhotic patient]. / Alcolizzazione percutanea ecoguidata del carcinoma epatocellulare nel paziente cirrotico.

The present study, performed in the Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology of Policlinico of Modena, shows the results of the treatment with percutaneous ethanol injection of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. In the period between June 1991-May 1998, 37 nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma, in 26 cirrhotic patients, were treated with ethanol injection under the ecographic guidance; the total number of sessions was 179. Ten lesions were recurrences (local or distant) in patients already treated. These patients were excluded from surgical treatment because of the high age, the high surgical risk or patient's choice. "Therapeutic success", defined as radiologic (TC or RM) demonstration of complete necrosis at the end of the first cycle of treatment, was achieved in 22/27 nodules after the first treatment (81.5%). Therapeutic success of the recurrence (second treatment) was achieved in 7/10 nodules (70%). In treated patients, survival probability (obtained with Kaplan Meier method) was 84.5%, 73.0%, 50.0%, 38.5%, 26.9%, respectively at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year. After a total number of 179 sessions, there were no relevant complications. The results obtained in our experience prove the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic technique in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Prevention of a first episode of variceal bleeding: role of duplex Doppler sonographic measurement of the acute response to beta-blockers.

The aim of our study was to assess whether acute variations in portal vein Doppler sonographic parameters induced by administration of a single beta-blocker agent are predictive of the long-term effects of these drugs in the prevention of a first episode of variceal bleeding. In 30 patients with liver cirrhosis at high risk for variceal bleeding, duplex Doppler sonographic parameters (maximal portal flow velocity, portal blood flow, and congestion index) were measured before and 4 h after the administration of 40 mg of propranolol. Twenty-three of these patients started chronic therapy with propanolol and were evaluated periodically (seven patients were excluded because they did not continue the therapy). The percentage of patients free from bleeding was 86.9% at the first year and 77.8% at the second year. Among a series of clinical, laboratory, and instrument-based parameters, the only one related to first bleeding, selected by the Cox regression model, was the percentage decrease in maximal portal flow velocity observed after initial administration of propranolol (P < 0.01). The best cutoff value for the percentage decrease in portal flow velocity (portal flow velocity test) was 12%. The prevalence of bleeding had been 25% (3 of 12) in patients with positive portal flow velocity test results (12% decrease or more), versus 64% (7 of 11) in patients with negative portal flow velocity test results. The actuarial probability of remaining free from bleeding (Kaplan-Meier analysis) was different in these two groups (log rank P < 0.01). The portal flow velocity test represents a safe and feasible method to predict the efficacy of beta-blockers in the prevention of a first bleeding episode in patients with cirrhosis. In patients with negative results on the portal flow velocity test, an alternative therapeutic approach should be considered.

Beneficial hemodynamic effects of dipyridamole on portal circulation in cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: Dipyridamole is a vasodilator that inhibits the cellular uptake of adenosine, which physiologically reduces the resistance to hepatic arterial flow inside the liver. This study aims at assessing the acute effect of dipyridamole on functional liver plasma flow (measured as the extrarenal sorbitol clearance) and on the Doppler US Congestion Index of the portal vein (the ratio between the cross-sectional area of this vein and the mean velocity of portal flow), which correlates with the severity of portal hypertension. METHODS: We have determined the extrarenal sorbitol clearance (14 cases) and the Congestion Index (seven cases) before and at 30, 60, and 90 min after the oral administration of 25 mg dipyridamole in patients with liver cirrhosis. We also measured the effect of dipyridamole on functional liver plasma flow in six healthy subjects. RESULTS: Dipyridamole increased the extrarenal sorbitol clearance in controls (+17%, p < 0.01) and in cirrhotic patients (+15%, p < 0.01). The drug decreased the portal Congestion Index in all patients, averaging -24% (p < 0.05) 90 min after its oral administration. CONCLUSIONS: This result was due both to a mean decrease of the portal sectional area and to a mean increase in portal flow velocity. In conclusion, these data suggest that dipyridamole should decrease the vascular resistance to portal flow in cirrhosis; this effect may be mediated by an adenosine-dependent vasodilation in the intrahepatic site or along the portosystemic collaterals.

Mesenteric vein thrombosis: a rare cause of abdominal pain in cirrhotic patients--two case reports.

Mesenteric vein thrombosis is a rare disorder which can develop rapidly with intestinal infarction or subacutely with abdominal pain due to intestinal ischemia. Despite the availability of modern diagnostic tools, which allow an early diagnosis in most cases, the mortality from this disease has not significantly diminished over the years. The problem is that the syndrome is rare and unusual and the clinical presentation is usually vague or confusing. Particularly in cirrhotic patients, this diagnosis requires the exclusion of several other complications of liver disease, like spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, tense ascites or portal thrombosis. Here, we report the occurrence of acute mesenteric vein thrombosis in two patients with liver cirrhosis. Severe subcontinuous abdominal pain out of proportion to the physical findings and abdominal distension were the major symptoms in both patients. Magnetic resonance imaging in one case and ultrasound scan with color Doppler followed by computed tomography in the other patient confirmed the diagnosis and enabled an appropriate early therapy to be undertaken.

Hepatic tocopherol content in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases.

The high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhosis, where previous studies have indicated a severe reduction in several antioxidant vitamin factors, prompted us to compare plasma liposoluble vitamins with tocopherol content in healthy and neoplastic liver tissue in humans. This, with a view to a more positive preventive dietary approach, given the conflicting results obtained by liposoluble vitamin dietary supplementation in different malignancies. Eleven patients with cirrhosis, 18 patients affected by cirrhosis with HCC, and 10 patients with liver metastases (LM) from digestive tract adenocarcinomas were compared with controls who had undergone perlaparoscopic cholecistectomy. Plasma alpha- and beta-carotene, retinol and tocopherol, together with liver tocopherol, from both nonmalignant portions and malignant nodules of the same organ, were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography following a well-assessed technique. The results confirm a trend towards a reduction in circulating carotenoids and tocopherol in cirrhosis and in patients affected by cirrhosis with HCC. Tocopherol content in liver tissue is significantly decreased in cirrhosis (0.26 + 0.03 micromol/g prot., mean + SEM, P < .001) and in cirrhotic areas of the HCC group (0.31 + 0.02, P < .002), with respect to its content in liver specimens of healthy controls (0.46 + 0.03) and in healthy areas of the same organ in patients with LM (0.41 + 0.03). Tocopherol concentration is further reduced by 50% in malignant liver nodules of HCC, with respect to surrounding cirrhotic tissue, whereas in metastatic liver nodules from digestive neoplasms the tocopherol content is almost twice that of healthy surrounding areas. This unpredictable tocopherol behavior in liver specimens, of secondary as opposed to primary malignancies of the liver, affords further insight into the conflicting effects of liposoluble vitamins employed in the chemopreventive treatment of different malignant diseases, where hepatic tocopherol concentration show opposite trends: halved in primary HCC and doubled in LM of digestive adenocarcinomas, with respect to healthy controls.

Value of the measurement of portal flow velocity in the differential diagnosis of asymptomatic splenomegaly.

AIM AND METHODS: This prospective study was carried on 20 patients (10 with liver cirrhosis and 10 with myelo-lymphoproliferative disorders), consecutively admitted to our ward for splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia, with the aim of evaluating the ability of Duplex-Doppler ultrasonography (DDUS) to discriminate between congestive splenomegaly and enlarged spleen caused by haematological disorders. RESULTS: Comparing the clinical/laboratory and DDUS findings for the two groups, it emerged that maximum-portal flow velocity (PFV) values revealed the most statistically significant differences: 17.31 SD 2.48 vs. 28.27 SD 3.53 (cm/s, P < 0.001). Discriminant analysis showed that max-PFV is the variable which by itself maximizes the separation between the two groups (F = 71.56; P < 0.0001). The patients with congestive splenomegaly exhibited lower max-PFV than the controls (17.31 SD 2.48 vs. 26.29 SD 2.38 cm/s, P < 0.001), unlike those with haematological diseases, whose max-PFV values were greater, albeit not significantly so (28.27 SD 3.53 vs. 26.29 SD 2.38 cm/s, P = 0.161). CONCLUSIONS: DDUS assessment of portal haemodynamics thus proved useful in the differential diagnosis of splenomegaly in asymptomatic patients since it distinguishes rapidly and non-invasively between congestive and haemotological splenomegaly. A lower-than-normal max-PFV value indicates congestive splenomegaly; a highish value, on the other hand, suggests a splenomegaly of haematological origin.

[The use of echo-guided fine-needle biopsy in the diagnosis of nodular hepatic lesions]. / Utilità della biopsia ecoguidata con ago sottile nella diagnosi delle lesioni nodulari epatiche.

211 patients were submitted to percutaneous ultrasound-guided liver biopsy: 184 patients (87.2%) had only one focal lesion, the other 27 had two or more lesions. In 9 patients (4.27%) the material drawn out from the liver was not adequate for microscopic examination (Retrieval Rate 95.7%). Histological evaluation revealed: absence of neoplasm in 67 patients (31.75%), benign lesion in 29 patients (13.74%), primitive malignant lesion in 70 patients (33.18%) and metastatic malignant lesion in 36 patients (17.06%). Combining the histological data with disease manifestation, biopsy showed a sensitivity of 95.1%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 89.4% and a diagnostic accuracy of 92.4%. None of the most important complications described in literature was observed. Our study confirms that ultrasound guided biopsy is a procedure of high diagnostic value in patients with nodular liver lesions, advantageous for its simplicity, low cost and safety.

Does the measurement of portal flow velocity have any value in the identification of patients with cirrhosis at risk of digestive bleeding?

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a leading cause of death in patients with liver cirrhosis. In most cases haemorrhage originates from oesophageal varices or from congestive gastropathy, and the evaluation of the bleeding risk is based on oesophagogastroduodenoscopic data. The aim of this prospective study was to determine whether the measurement of portal flow velocity by Duplex-Doppler, compared with endoscopic data, can help in detecting patients with cirrhosis at risk of bleeding. One hundred and seventy-three patients underwent endoscopy to ascertain the size of the varices and the severity of congestive gastropathy. For each patient maximal portal flow velocity measurements were obtained. No difference in portal flow velocity was observed between patients with or without oesophageal varices or congestive gastropathy. During a 2-year observation period, 27 patients (15.6%) had at least one episode of acute digestive bleeding. Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated a correlation between oesophageal varices and congestive gastropathy endoscopic grading and the incidence of bleeding; only the former was entered into the final regression equation (p < 0.001). No relationship between the max portal flow velocity value and incidence of bleeding was found. This study shows that portal flow velocity is unrelated to the degree of the endoscopic abnormalities in patients with liver cirrhosis and that it has no value in the identification of patients with cirrhosis at risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Effects of propranolol compared with clonidine on portal haemodynamics: a double-blind cross-over study using duplex-Doppler ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: Patients with liver cirrhosis and large oesophageal varices run a high risk of digestive haemorrhage due to the rupture of oesophageal varices, an event associated with a high mortality. At present, the only treatment for the prevention of first bleeding from oesophageal varices on which there is general agreement is drug-based. In order to tailor drug treatment to the requirements of individual patients more precisely, an ever-increasing number of drugs is being investigated. DESIGN: Double-blind cross-over study. METHODS: Sixteen cirrhotic patients with large oesophageal varices were studied by means of duplex-Doppler ultrasonography to determine variations in portal haemodynamics after oral administration of 0.150 mg clonidine and to compare these with the variations observed after oral administration of 40 mg propranolol. RESULTS: Propranolol caused a significant reduction in maximum portal flow velocity (P < 0.001), whereas clonidine failed to cause any such variation (P = 0.194). Considering as responders those patients who exhibited at least a 10% decrease in maximum portal flow velocity, 11 patients responded to propranolol; of these, three also responded to clonidine. No patient responded only to clonidine. CONCLUSION: The absence of any effects on the parameters of portal haemodynamics would appear to deny clonidine any significant role in preventing first bleeding resulting from the rupture of oesophageal varices.

Duplex Doppler ultrasonographic comparison of the effects of propranolol and isosorbide-5-mononitrate on portal hemodynamics.

Eighteen cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices at risk for bleeding took part in a double-blind study. The variations in PFV induced by either 40 mg of propranolol or 60 mg of sustained-release isosorbide-5-mononitrate on two consecutive days were evaluated with a duplex Doppler device. Both drugs caused a significant decrease in maximum (propranolol, P = 0.002; isosorbide-5-mononitrate, P = 0.021). Four patients responded to propranolol, three to isosorbide-5-mononitrate, and eight to both drugs; three did not show any change. Duplex Doppler sonography may be of use in the selection of the right pharmacologic treatment for the individual patient for the prevention of a bleeding esophageal varix.

Duplex-Doppler ultrasonography in the assessment of portal hypertension. Utility of the measurement of maximum portal flow velocity.

To assess the utility of Duplex-Doppler ultrasonography (DDUS) in the evaluation of portal haemodynamics we studied 52 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis (mean age 53.9 +/- 9.2 years, males 32, females 20) diagnosed by laparoscopy and biopsy. All patients underwent laparoscopy and oesophageal-gastro-duodenoscopy (OGDS): we postulated that haemodynamically significant portal hypertension (PH) was present if varices were detected at OGDS and/or if collateral veins were revealed at laparoscopy. DDUS was performed with a strictly standardized method and maximum portal flow velocity (PFV) was measured in all patients. Max-PFV ranged between 3.5 and 33.4 cm/s. Overall, 36 patients (69%) had a max-PFV lower than 20.3 cm/s (normal max-PFV range in our laboratory is 20.3-33.3 cm/s), while 16 patients (31%) had normal max-PFV values. Five patients (9.6%) had no signs of PH at laparoscopy and/or OGDS and all five had normal max-PFV values. The other 47 patients (90.4%) had collateral circuli at laparoscopy and 29/47 (61.7%) exhibited also varices at OGDS: max-PFV was lower than 20.3 cm/s in 36/47 patients (76.6%). The measurement of max-PFV demonstrated a 76.6% sensitivity and a 100% specificity in detecting PH, with 100% positive predictive value and 31% negative predictive value. Three patients with PH and apparently normal max-PFV values exhibited a recanalization of the umbilical vein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Relevance of reduced portal flow velocity, low platelet count and enlarged spleen diameter in the non-invasive diagnosis of compensated liver cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this prospective study was to identify the combination of parameters best able to predict the diagnosis of compensated cirrhosis. METHODS: One hundred and fourteen patients with suspected chronic compensated liver disease were divided, on the basis of bioptical findings, into two groups: group A, without cirrhosis (n = 58) and group B, with cirrhosis (n = 56). A number of biochemical parameters, the extent of oesophageal varices, spleen size, portal vein diameter and maximum and mean portal flow velocity measured by duplex-Doppler ultrasonography were taken into account in a binary forward-stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Only three variables were present in the final regression equation, maximum portal flow velocity affording the highest correlation with the histological diagnosis of cirrhosis (p = 0.0007), with an overall predictive value of 87.7%. When associated with the bipolar diameter of the spleen (p = 0.0169) and the number of platelets (p = 0.0487), the predictive value rose to 94.7%. If all three parameters were normal, a non-cirrhotic liver disease was most likely (96% probability); if two or three of the parameters were abnormal, liver cirrhosis was almost certain (98% probability); if only one parameter was abnormal, the clinical diagnosis was uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the usefulness of duplex Doppler ultrasonography in the non-invasive diagnosis of compensated cirrhosis.

[Echography in diseases of the rotator cuff]. / L'ecografia nella patologia della cuffia dei rotatori.

The diagnostic accuracy of shoulder US was investigated in 69 patients with a "painful shoulder" and the results compared with those of MR imaging. In our experience, US exhibited 95% sensitivity, 69% specificity, 83% positive predictive value, 90% negative predictive value and 85% accuracy. The analysis of the single US patterns proved the difficult distinction of small tears from focal tears, whereas complete ruptures were always easy to identify. In summary, all cases of rotator cuff degeneration or tear were always detected but not always correctly identified. False negatives on US included inflammatory processes of cuff structures but never ruptures or degenerations. Therefore, in our diagnostic protocol, US appeared to be a valuable screening method in the exclusion of rotator cuff injuries; other imaging techniques--i.e., arthrography, MR imaging, arthroscopy--were employed only in questionable/positive cases on US.

[Spin-echo anatomy of the larynx in MRI at 1.5 T]. / Anatomie spin écho du larynx en IRM à 1.5 Tesla.

The larynges of 8 healthy and informed volunteers were studied with a superconductive MR unit at 1.5 T together with those of 10 patients with extra-laryngeal pathologic conditions. The study was performed with round surface coils (5'') and with delicated sellar coils in the anterior neck. Slices were 5 mm thick, and acquired on the coronal, axial, and sagittal planes, with T1-weighting; axial scans were repeated in the same locations with double echoes, with proton-density and T2-weighting. Five patients underwent additional scans after Gd-DTPA. The larynx of a semi-frozen cadaver was examined with sellar surface coils, on similar scanning planes and with similar pulse sequences to those described above; the larynx was removed, investigated with mammographic technique, and subsequently analyzed with thin CT slices and a high-resolution reconstruction algorithm for the study of laryngeal cartilage. Axial anatomical sections were then compared with MR and CT scans, and the anatomical structures were recognized on the triplanar MR scans of a volunteer's larynx. Besides MR anatomy of supporting laryngeal structures, the authors describe in detail the muscles, plicae, spaces and cavities which can be identified on the various planes, together with the changes in signal after Gd-DTPA.

Duplex-Doppler assessment of cirrhosis in patients with chronic compensated liver disease.

Portal venous flow velocity (PFV) was measured with duplex-Doppler equipment in 50 normal subjects and in 117 patients with suspected chronic liver disease who showed no evidence of decompensation such as ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice or oesophageal bleeding. All the patients underwent percutaneous liver biopsy which demonstrated non-cirrhotic liver disease in 58 cases (CH-patients: steatosis 8, persistent chronic hepatitis 8, active chronic hepatitis 42) and liver cirrhosis in the other 59 cases (LC-patients). The normal subjects and the CH-patients had similar values of max-PFV and mean-PFV (max-PFV 26.7 +/- 3.2 and 25.7 +/- 3.4 cm/s respectively; mean-PFV 22.9 +/- 2.8 and 22.4 +/- 3.8 cm/s respectively). The LC-patients' values (max-PFV 19.3 +/- 3.5; mean-PFV 16.9 +/- 2.9) were significantly lower than those of the normal subjects (P less than 0.001) and of the CH-patients (P less than 0.001). Considering the normal max-PFV to be in the range 20-33.1 cm/s (mean +/- 2 s.d. of the normal subjects, 95% confidence limits), max-PFV was reduced in 0/50 normal subjects, 1/58 CH-patients and 39/59 LC-patients (66.1% sensitivity; 98.2% specificity). In conclusion, the duplex-Doppler measurement of PFV is of great interest in the diagnostic study of patients with suspected chronic compensated liver disease and in the early diagnosis of cirrhosis. A low max-PFV is a reliable pointer to liver cirrhosis, whereas a normal max-PFV indicates a non-cirrhotic liver disease but is less probative. Each centre should standardize normal PFV values in order to establish their own threshold value for diagnosing liver cirrhosis.

Duplex-Doppler ultrasonography in the evaluation of cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension and in the analysis of their response to drugs.

Sixteen patients (15 males, aged 48-70) affected by liver cirrhosis and oesophageal varices were subjected to duplex-Doppler ultrasonographic study (DDUS). Four patients (three with a portal thrombosis and one with a hepatofugal portal flow) were excluded from the subsequent pharmacological test. The twelve remaining patients took part in a double blind cross-over study that evaluated the variations of heart rate (HR), mean systemic arterial pressure (SAP), portal vein diameter (PVD), maximal and mean portal flow velocity (PFV) after the administration of either 40 mg of propranolol or placebo per os, on two consecutive days. Propranolol caused no significant variation in mean SAP and in PVD, whereas it reduced the HR from 67.7 +/- 8.0 to 58.4 +/- 7.0 beats/min (mean +/- s.d.; P less than 0.001); the maxPFV dropped from 18.2 +/- 5.4 to 14.0 +/- 3.7 cm/s (P less than 0.001) and the meanPFV dropped from 15.3 +/- 4.1 to 13.2 +/- 3.1 cm/s (P less than 0.005). No significant variation was observed with placebo. After propranolol administration eight patients exhibited a significant maxPFV decrease, whereas the other four patients exhibited only a drop in HR, suggesting either drug inefficacy, inappropriate dosage or inadequate duration of treatment. DDUS is the only non-invasive method for the examination of the portal vein system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Spin-echo anatomy of the larynx with magnetic resonance at 1.5 T]. / Anatomia spin-eco della laringe con Risonanza Magnetica da 1,5 tesla.

The larynges of 8 healthy and informed volunteers were studied with a superconductive MR unit at 1.5 T together with those of 10 patients with extralaryngeal pathologic conditions. The study was performed with round surface coils (5") and with dedicated sellar coils in the anterior neck. Slices were 5 mm thick, and acquired on the coronal, axial, and sagittal planes, with T1-weighting; axial scans were repeated in the same locations with double echoes, with proton-density and T2-weighting. Five patients underwent additional scans after Gd-DTPA. The larynx of a semi-frozen cadaver was examined with sellar surface coils, on similar scanning planes and with similar pulse sequences to those described above; the larynx was removed, investigated with mammographic technique, and subsequently analyzed with thin CT slices and a high-resolution reconstruction algorithm for the study of laryngeal cartilage. Axial anatomical sections were then compared with MR and CT scans, and the anatomical structures were recognized on the triplanar MR scans of a volunteer's larynx. Besides MR anatomy of supporting laryngeal structures, the authors describe in detail the muscles, plicae, spaces and cavities which can be identified on the various planes, together with the changes in signal after Gd-DTPA.

MR evaluation of triangular fibrocartilage complex tears in the wrist: comparison with arthrography and arthroscopy.

To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) in the detection of tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), 10 consecutive patients with posttraumatic chronic wrist pain were examined with MR, arthrography, and arthroscopy and the results were compared. The MR images of 16 control subjects were also examined to define the MR appearance of the normal TFCC. When compared with arthroscopic findings, both MR and arthrography had two false-negative results (sensitivity, 80%) and no false-positive results. Regarding the sites of the TFCC tears, the findings on MR did not always correlate with the findings on arthrography. In no case was MR able to visualize the cartilaginous lesions visible by arthroscopy. These preliminary results illustrate the ability of MR to assess the integrity of the TFCC and suggest its use as the first imaging technique following plain radiography in the evaluation of patients with chronic posttraumatic pain on the ulnar side of the wrist.

[Doppler flowmetry in the study of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis. Qualitative and quantitative analyses]. / La flussimetria Doppler nello studio dell'ipertensione portale dei pazienti con cirrosi epatica. Analisi qualitativa e quantitativa.

The recent development of the duplex-Doppler technique, which combined real-time US with pulsed Doppler flowmetry, has allowed the flowmetric hemodynamic study of large abdominal vessels. As yet, however, both accuracy and possible applications of this method in the study of portal hypertension have not been fully investigated. This study was aimed at assessing whether or not the combined use of Doppler flowmetry and bidimensional US is able to detect portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), and could therefore represent a valid alternative to endoscopic, angiographic, and direct pressure measurement techniques. Twenty-six patients with LC and 25 control patients were studied with a strictly standardized method; portal hypertension was detected in the patients with LC by EGDS and laparoscopy. The results demonstrated pulsed duplex-Doppler US to be able to detect portal hypertension in 92.4% of LC patients, with 2 false negatives only (7.6%). The difference in the flowmetric data of normal and LC patients was highly significant (p less than 0.001 Student's t test). In conclusion, duplex-Doppler US can be considered as a valid technique to detect portal hypertension in LC patients, and can thus be used as an alternative to more invasive techniques of general use in clinics.