NON-INVASIVE MARKERS OF PORTAL HYPERTENSION AND CHANGES IN PORTAL HYPERTENSION IN PATIENTS WITH COMPENSATED CIRRHOSIS UNDERGOING ANTIVIRAL THERAPY

• Grant number: 15/00944-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: August 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Ana Claudia de Oliveira
• Grantee: Ana Claudia de Oliveira
• Host Investigator: Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Yale University, United States

Abstract

Introduction: Cirrhosis is commonly caused by hepatitis C virus infection and its incidence is expected to rise over the next decades.Portal hypertension (PH) is the main complication of cirrhosis and is associated with prognosis. The development of new procedures to assess portal pressure would render the valuable information about the prognosis of the chronic disease. Objectives: To evaluate the ability of the Indocyanine green retention test (ICG) and liver and spleen stiffness to identify expected changes in HP in cirrhotic patients by virus C infection before and after antiviral treatment. Material and Methods: Prospective, longitudinal adults with cirrhosis C virus, in the process of receiving antiviral treatment. Hepatitis C will be confirmed by the detection of HCVRNA (Amplicor Roche "). Will be excluded evidence of hepatic decompensation, coinfection with HBV/HIV, alcohol> 20g / day, hepatocellular carcinoma, portal vein thrombosis, pregnancy, allergy to iodine. Cirrhosis will be identified histologically and/or the presence of consistent findings. Blood samples will be collected for biochemical, hematological and virological dosages. The retention test (ICG) and liver and spleen stiffness measured by ARFI, shall be made following the original description. The results will be compared with the identification and changes of HP assessed by measuring the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) before and after antiviral treatment. Analyze statistic: Will be used T-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square or Fisher's exact, when applicable. Will be considered statistically significant p values <0.05