Abstract
Objective: To determine the frequency of portal vein size of more than 13 mm in patients with cirrhosis with oesophageal varices.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Medical OPD, Department of Medicine, from July 2021 to December 2021. The study duration was 6 months from 1-07-21 to 31-12-21. After reviewing the Upper GI report by the author and confirming the presence of varices in the oesophagus, patient demographics were obtained and the patients were referred to the Radiology OPD, where they were asked to undergo ultrasonography (USG) of the abdomen to measure the long axis of the portal vein diameter from the Radiology OPD. They were reassessed again in the Medical OPD with the USG abdomen report and portal vein diameter with spleen size in millimetres.
Results: Out of 60 patients with cirrhosis and oesophageal varices, 52 (86.7%) were found to have a portal vein diameter of equal to or more than 13 mm.
Conclusion: In our setting, there is a high frequency of portal vein diameter equal to or more than 13 mm in patients with varices.
Keywords: Portal vein size, Cirrhosis, Varices, Ultrasonography, Chronic Liver Disease
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