Reconsideration of ultrasonographic signs of portal hypertension for patients suffering from cronic liver disease

Purpose: Determining the sensitivity for several ultrasonography signs of portal hypertension by assessing the capacity of this method to establish the diagnosis. Materials and methods: 150 patients with known hepatopathy of alcoholic and infectious cause (histologically certified) were explored by ultrasonography. The following were considered signs of portal hypertension: increased diameters of portal, splenic and superior mesenteric veins; flow inversion in the portal vein; decreased velocity of the portal flow; decreased respiratory compliance for the portal vein; presence of collateral circulation. The gold…