TY - JOUR
T1 - Gas6 as a predictor of esophageal varices in patients affected by hepatitis C virus related-chronic liver disease
AU - Bellan, Mattia
AU - Sainaghi, Pier Paolo
AU - Minh, Margherita Tran
AU - Minisini, Rosalba
AU - Molinari, Luca
AU - Baldrighi, Marco
AU - Salmi, Livia
AU - Barbaglia, Matteo Nazzareno
AU - Castello, Luigi Mario
AU - Ravanini, Paolo
AU - Avanzi, Gian Carlo
AU - Pirisi, Mario
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Future Medicine Ltd.
PY - 2018/1
Y1 - 2018/1
N2 - Aim: Plasma Gas6 was tested as an alternative to Baveno VI criteria (liver stiffness <20 kPa and platelet count >150 × 109/l) in an endoscopy-sparing strategy. Methods: A total of 160 patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis underwent, on the same occasion, liver elastography, upper endoscopy, a platelet count and serum Gas6 measurement. Results: A total of 74/160 (46%) patients had esophageal varices, that were small (diameter <5 mm) in 57/160 (34%) and large in 17/160 (11%) cases. A total of 34/160 (21%) patients satisfied Baveno VI criteria, according to which screening for esophageal varices could have been omitted; 1/34 had large varices (sensitivity 94%). A plasma Gas6 value <45 ng/ml, detected in 34/160 (21%) patients, was also 94% sensitive. Conclusion: Plasma Gas6 might represent a feasible alternative to Baveno VI criteria when transient elastography is unavailable/unsuccessful.
AB - Aim: Plasma Gas6 was tested as an alternative to Baveno VI criteria (liver stiffness <20 kPa and platelet count >150 × 109/l) in an endoscopy-sparing strategy. Methods: A total of 160 patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis underwent, on the same occasion, liver elastography, upper endoscopy, a platelet count and serum Gas6 measurement. Results: A total of 74/160 (46%) patients had esophageal varices, that were small (diameter <5 mm) in 57/160 (34%) and large in 17/160 (11%) cases. A total of 34/160 (21%) patients satisfied Baveno VI criteria, according to which screening for esophageal varices could have been omitted; 1/34 had large varices (sensitivity 94%). A plasma Gas6 value <45 ng/ml, detected in 34/160 (21%) patients, was also 94% sensitive. Conclusion: Plasma Gas6 might represent a feasible alternative to Baveno VI criteria when transient elastography is unavailable/unsuccessful.
KW - Gas6
KW - cirrhosis
KW - esophageal varices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85038896491&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2217/bmm-2017-0171
DO - 10.2217/bmm-2017-0171
M3 - Article
SN - 1752-0363
VL - 12
SP - 27
EP - 34
JO - Biomarkers in Medicine
JF - Biomarkers in Medicine
IS - 1
ER -
