Blood Ammonia as Predictor for Esophageal Varices and Risk of Bleeding (EV)

Tanta University

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Esophageal Varices

Chronic Liver Disease

Treatments

Diagnostic Test: Endoscopy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

30142/03/31

Details and patient eligibility

About

Assessment of blood ammonia level as a non-invasive predictor for presence of EV and risk of bleeding

Full description

A prospective cross sectional study on 150 consecutive patients screening for esophageal varices.

Patient groups groups:

Group (1): 100 patients with esophageal varices

Group (2): 50 chronic liver disease patients with no esophageal varices as a control group.

All patients will be subjected to:

- Detailed history-taking
- Full clinical examination
- Laboratory investigations:
- Complete blood picture (CBC)
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
- Renal function tests
- Liver function tests
- Prothrombin time and activity
- Viral markers (HCV Ab - HBV Ag)
- Blood ammonia level.
- Pelviabdominal US: Ultrasound examination of the liver, portal venous system, spleen, kidney and other abdominal organs.
- Upper GITendoscopy:
- Varices will be classified according to the Japanese classification 1996,
- The Baveno 11 score will be used to differentiate between mild and severe portal hypertensive gastropathy.

Enrollment

150 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria

Patient in hepatic encephalopathy or coma.
Patient in active bleeding or with history of bleeding within the two weeks prior to entry in the study .
Patients with heart failure.
Patients with renal failure.
Patient with hepatocellular carcinoma and portal vein thrombosis.
Patient taking Beta blockers.