Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi. 1994 Dec; 33(12): 813-6.

[Determination of the thickness of the wall of portal vein trunk in patients of schistosomiasis japonica with hepatic fibrosis and its clinical significance]

Yuan ZK, Guo ZQ, Yang YG.

Hunan Chinese Traditional Medicine College.

The thickness of the wall of the portal vein trunk (PVT) was determined with B-mode ultrasonography in 82 patients of schistosomiasis, with hepatic fibrosis, 35 cases of schistosomiasis without hepatic fibrosis, 30 cases of post-hepatitis cirrhosis and 32 healthy subjects. It was shown that the wall thickness of PVT increased in all the patients with schistosomiasis. The thickness in patients of schistosomiasis with hepatic fibrosis was markedly increased as compared with the other three groups (P < 0.01 in all). The magnitude of increase of the wall thickness correlated well with the severity of the pathological change of hepatic fibrosis. It was also noted that change of wall thickness of PVT was not only accompanied by change in hyaluronate and hydroxyproline estimation, but also closely correlated with the international criteria of ultrasound parameters for assessment of pathological changes of schistosomiasis (rs = 0.839, rs = 0.748). Measurement of the wall thickness of PVT is, therefore, a valuable clinical method for diagnosing schistosomiasis with hepatic fibrosis and determining the severity of its pathological change.