The risk factors of portal vein thrombosis in patients with liver cirrhosis

Portal vein thrombosis in cirrhosis: A literature review

Portal Vein Thrombosis (PVT), a common complication of advanced liver disease, is defined as an obstruction of the portal vein due to thrombus formation that can extend to the superior mesenteric and splenic veins. It was believed that PVT occurred predominantly due to prothrombotic potential. However, recent studies have shown that decreased blood flow related to portal hypertension appears to increase PVT risk as per Virchow's triad. It is well known that there is a higher incidence of PVTs in cirrhosis with a higher MELD and Child Pugh score. The controversy for management of PVTs in cirrhotics lies in the individualized assessment of risks versus benefits of anticoagulation, since these patients have a complex hemostatic profile with both bleeding and procoagulant propensities. In this review, we will systematically compile the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and management of portal vein thrombosis in cirrhosis.

Analysis of related factors of portal vein thrombosis in liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To investigate the usefulness of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), protein C (PC), and thromboelastography (TEG) to serve as a predictor of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Additionally, we examined the clinical significance of the above indicators in terms of disease progression.

METHODS

A total of 123 patients with liver cirrhosis were recruited from May 2021 to December 2021, according to the imaging findings. They were divided into the PVT group (n = 52) and the non-PVT group (n = 71). Furthermore, patients with PVT were divided into plasma transfusion groups (n = 13) and non-plasma transfusion groups (n = 39). The basic general information, past medical history, laboratory, and imaging examination data were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

In univariate analysis, there was no significant difference between the two groups in IL-6, PC, reaction time (R), alpha angle (Angle), maximum amplitude, or coagulation index (CI) (P > 0.05). TNF-α in the PVT group was significantly lower than that in the non-PVT group (P = 0.001). K-time (K) in the PVT group was significantly higher than that in the non-PVT group (P = 0.031). There was no significant difference in IL-6, TNF-α, PC, or TEG between different Child-Pugh classification groups (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in TEG between the plasma transfusion group and the non-plasma transfusion group. In Binary logistic regression analysis, TNF-α (OR = 0.9881, 95%CI = 0.971, 0.990, P < 0.001), K(OR = 1.28, 95% = 1.053, 1.569, P = 0.014), activate partial thromboplastin time (APTT) (OR = 0.753, 95%CI = 0.656, 0.865, P < 0.001), portal vein diameter (OR = 1.310, 95%CI = 1.108, 1.549, P = 0.002)and the history of splenectomy or embolism (OR = 7.565, 95%CI = 1.514, 37.799, P = 0.014)were related to the formation of PVT.

CONCLUSIONS

TNF-α, K, APTT, portal vein diameter, and splenectomy or embolism history were associated with PVT formation, but IL-6 was not.

Portal Vein Thrombosis in the Setting of Cirrhosis: A Comprehensive Review

Portal vein thrombosis constitutes the most common thrombotic event in patients with cirrhosis, with increased rates in the setting of advanced liver disease. Despite being a well-known complication of cirrhosis, the contribution of portal vein thrombosis to hepatic decompensation and overall mortality is still a matter of debate. The incorporation of direct oral anticoagulants and new radiological techniques for portal vein recanalization have expanded our therapeutic arsenal. However, the lack of large prospective observational studies and randomized trials explain the heterogenous diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations of current guidelines. This article seeks to make a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis.

Relationship between portal vein width and portal vein thrombosis in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

The early diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is still a difficult clinical problem. There is an urgent need to find noninvasive indexes that can predict PVT.

AIM

To investigate the relationship between portal vein width and PVT.

METHODS

A total of 418 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis were collected. They were divided into a PVT group (n = 66) and a non-PVT group (n = 352) according to whether PVT occurred. The general data of the two groups were compared, and the risk factors affecting PVT were analyzed retrospectively by multivariate logistic regression. The effectiveness of different risk factors in predicting PVT was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with the non-PVT group, the PVT group had a significantly higher Child-Pugh score, lower rate of Child-Pugh A class, higher platelet count and D-dimer level, wider portal vein width, and slower portal vein blood flow (P < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that portal vein width (odds ratio [OR] = 3.941, P = 0.001), portal vein blood flow (OR = 0.841, P = 0.007), platelet count (OR = 1.024, P = 0.008), and D-dimer level (OR = 2.383, P = 0.000) were independent risk factors for PVT in patients with liver cirrhosis. The maximum area under the ROC curve of portal vein width in the diagnosis of PVT was 0.874, and the best diagnostic threshold was > 12.5 mm, with a predictive sensitivity and specificity of 78% and 82%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The increase of portal vein diameter is a risk factor for PVT in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Increased portal vein diameter is predictive of portal vein thrombosis development in patients with liver cirrhosis

Background

Cirrhotic patients with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) may have a high risk of hepatic decompensation and increased mortality. This study aimed to investigate if increased portal vein diameter is associated with PVT development.

Methods

A total of 174 cirrhotic patients were enrolled between February 1 and August 31, 2017. All participants were divided into PVT (n=62) and non-PVT (n=112) groups based on the thrombus that was detected by ultrasonography and confirmed by computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Results

The study participants, aged 54.7±10.5 years (PVT) and 55.8±11.6 years (non-PVT), were included in this analysis. The Child-Pugh score of PVT or non-PVT was 6.6±1.3 and 5.8±0.9, respectively. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the primary etiological agent of cirrhosis. Logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and nomograph analysis designated portal diameter as the strongest independent risk factor for predicting PVT development [odds ratio (OR): 3.96, area under the ROC curve (AUC): 0.88; P<0.01], and the cutoff with predictive value for PVT development was >12.5 mm. No differences were observed in the overall survival (OS) in cirrhosis with or without PVT or stratifying on portal diameter based on the cutoff value.

Conclusions

Increased portal diameter is associated with an increased risk of PVT development. Patients with cirrhosis and increased portal diameter are a high-risk subgroup that may need thromboprophylaxis.

Portal Thrombosis in Cirrhosis: Role of Thrombophilic Disorders

In patients with liver cirrhosis the contribution of inherited and acquired prothrombotic disorders in the development of non-malignant portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is inconclusive. The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the prevalence of thrombophilia in this setting at our center from January 2012 to November 2019. Tests included gene mutational analysis for Factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A, JAK2 (V617F), Calreticulin (CARL), in addition to activated protein C resistance, antithrombin III, protein C and S levels, and antiphospholipid antibodies. We included 77 patients, six of whom (7.8%) had a thrombophilic disorder: antiphospholipid syndrome in four patients, prothrombin gene mutation in one and factor V Leiden mutation in one. This latter patient had also been diagnosed with polycythemia vera years before PVT development. Complete thrombosis of the main portal vein and re-thrombosis after stopping anticoagulation were more frequent in patients with thrombophilia, but the rates of recanalization under anticoagulant therapy were similar among groups. No other difference was accounted between groups. The low prevalence of acquired and inherited thrombophilia found in patients with cirrhosis and PVT support testing for these disorders on an individual basis and avoiding universal screening to reduce costs and unwarranted testing.

Biomarkers of liver dysfunction correlate with a prothrombotic and not with a prohaemorrhagic profile in patients with cirrhosis

Background & Aims

Different liver dysfunction biomarkers are used to assess the bleeding risk of patients with cirrhosis, either as such or included in bleeding risk assessment scores. Since the current model of coagulation in patients with cirrhosis describes a procoagulant tendency with increasing severity according to Child-Pugh stage, we decided to investigate the relation between liver dysfunction biomarkers and thrombin generation. Our aim was to verify their adequacy for bleeding risk assessment.

Methods

We performed a prospective single-centre study including 260 patients with liver cirrhosis. Thrombin generation was measured using ST Genesia® Thrombin Generation System without and with thrombomodulin in order to assess the role of proteins C and S. Relations between thrombin generation and Child-Pugh/model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, prothrombin time (PT)/international normalised ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), factor V activity, albumin, and total bilirubin were assessed.

Results

Thrombomodulin-mediated inhibition of thrombin generation was significantly decreased in patients with liver cirrhosis compared with healthy donors (p <0.0001) and in Child-Pugh B and C compared with A (p <0.0001 [A–B], 0.4515 [B–C], <0.0001 [A–C]). Thrombomodulin-mediated inhibition significantly decreased with increasing PT/INR, aPTT, and total bilirubin levels and with decreasing factor V activity and albumin levels.

Conclusions

Worsening liver dysfunction biomarkers reflect an increasing prothrombotic profile in patients with liver cirrhosis. In particular, prolonged PT/INR and aPTT as well as decreasing factor V activity are related to an increasing thrombotic risk and not to an increasing bleeding risk. These parameters should not be used to assess bleeding risk due to haemostatic anomalies in patients with liver cirrhosis. Alternative biomarkers for bleeding risk assessment in patients with liver cirrhosis need to be developed.

Lay summary

We demonstrate that the laboratory parameters used to assess bleeding risk of patients with liver disease, e.g. prothrombin time/international normalised ratio (PT/INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), are inadequate for this purpose because they are correlated with a prothrombotic coagulation profile. In this article, we highlight the need for alternative parameters to assess bleeding risk in patients with liver disease.

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Patients with cirrhosis display a prothrombotic coagulation profile.

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This is due to a relative decrease of natural anticoagulants compared with procoagulants.

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In cirrhosis, PT and aPTT correlate with a prothrombotic state, and are inadequate as bleeding risk biomarkers.

Portal vein thrombosis secondary to postoperative gastric cancer: Report of two cases

Few cases of portal vein thrombosis secondary to gastric cancer surgery have been reported. Here we report the diagnosis and management of two such cases. Case 1: Gastric carcinoma with acute hematemesis was detected by endoscopy in the gastric body of a 48-year-old woman. Histologic examination revealed signet-ring cell carcinoma with marked invasion of the vessels and nerves. Laparoscopic partial gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastrogastrostomy were performed. One month after surgery, imaging examination showed the formation of thrombi in the main portal vein and the right hepatic vein. Case 2: Gastric carcinoma with pyloric obstruction was clinically diagnosed in a 66-year-old woman. Laparoscopic partial gastrectomy and Billroth Roux-en-Y gastrogastrostomy were again performed. Two months after surgery, an abdominal imaging examination detected a thrombus in the right hepatic vein. Clinicians should consider portal vein thrombosis in patients with hyperthermia combined with an abnormal increase in procalcitonin.