ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Portal vein thrombosis is a frequent complication in liver cirrhosis. Encouraging reports of systemic thrombolysis in non-cirrhotic patients suffering from acute portal vein thrombosis led us to start a pilot study on the efficacy and safety of systemic low dose recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (Actilyse, Boheringer Ingelheim, Florence, Italy). PATIENTS: Nine cirrhotic patients (6 males and 3 females) with recent portal vein thrombosis were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were portal cavernomatosis, recent (30 days) surgery, active bleeding, hepatocellular carcinoma and cancer in other sites. METHODS: All cases were treated for a maximum of 7 days by continuous i.v. infusion of 0.25mg/kg/die of r-tPA plus subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin. Efficacy was evaluated by colour doppler sonography monitoring and confirmed by contrast enhanced computerized tomography. RESULTS: The combined r-tPA/LMWH treatment was well tolerated without clinically significant side effects. Complete resolution of thrombosis occurred in 4 cases, partial regression in 4 and none in 1. Retreatment of a complete recurrence in 1 patient was successful. Variceal pressure dropped from 30.7+/-4.5 mmHg to 21.2+/-6.6 mmHg (p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data demonstrate that thrombolytic treatment of recent portal vein thrombosis with i.v. r-tPA and LMWH in patients with cirrhosis appears to be safe and effective and can significantly reduce pressure in oesophageal varices.
Subject(s)
Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight/administration & dosage , Liver Cirrhosis/complications , Portal Vein , Thrombolytic Therapy/methods , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/administration & dosage , Venous Thrombosis/drug therapy , Adult , Aged , Blood Flow Velocity/drug effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Female , Fibrinolytic Agents/administration & dosage , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infusions, Intravenous , Injections, Subcutaneous , Liver Cirrhosis/diagnosis , Liver Cirrhosis/drug therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Retrospective Studies , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Treatment Outcome , Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color , Venous Pressure/drug effects , Venous Thrombosis/diagnosis , Venous Thrombosis/etiologySubject(s)
Humans , Adolescent , Adult , Risk Factors , Hepatitis B Vaccines , Immunization , Students, Medical , UruguayABSTRACT
D-dimer and factor VIII levels raise in advanced cirrhosis. We investigated the behavior and the diagnostic usefulness of D-dimer and factor VIII in cirrhotic patients with asymptomatic portal venous thrombosis. Factor VIII coagulant and D-dimer values were measured in 136 consecutive outpatients with stable cirrhosis divided according to Child-Pugh (CP) classification, who underwent color/power ultrasonography to detect portal thrombosis. Portal thrombosis was found in 33 patients (24.2%). In patients without thrombosis, factor VIII was significantly higher in CP class C compared with class A and B. Conversely, class C patients with portal thrombosis had lower factor VIII levels than those without thrombosis. In both groups, D-dimer was significantly increased in class C compared with class A and B. In class C, thrombotic patients showed higher D-dimer values than did patients without thrombosis. In class C, a D-dimer value > or = 0.55 microg/mL provided a sensitivity and a negative predictive value for portal thrombosis of 100%, and a factor VIII coagulant level < or = 80% showed a specificity and a negative predictive value of 76% and 84%, respectively. In class B, a D-dimer value > or = 0.225 microg/mL had a sensitivity of 89% and a negative predictive value of 82%. In conclusion, our study shows that factor VIII values increase in severe cirrhosis but significantly decrease in the presence of concomitant portal thrombosis, likely because of consumption during thrombosis; D-dimer is enhanced by both liver failure and portal thrombosis; in severe cirrhosis, normal D-dimer and factor VIII values may safely exclude the presence of asymptomatic portal thrombosis.
