Role of D-dimer in the Development of Portal Vein Thrombosis in Liver Cirrhosis: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A meta-analysis was performed to explore the role of the D-dimer in the development of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis. METHODS: All papers were searched via PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang, and VIP databases. A standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was pooled. RESULTS: Overall, 284 studies were initially identified, of which 21 were included. Cirrhotic patients with PVT had a significantly higher D-dimer concentration than those without PVT (pooled SMD = 1.249, 95%CI = 0.740–1.758). After the portal hypertension-related surgery, cirrhotic patients with PVT had a similar preoperative D-dimer concentration to those without PVT (pooled SMD = 0.820, 95%CI = −0.122–0.286), but a higher postoperative value of D-dimer concentration than those without PVT (pooled SMD = 2.505, 95%CI = 0.975–4.036). Notably, the D-dimer concentration at the 1(st) postoperative day was similar between cirrhotic patients with and without PVT (pooled SMD = 0.137, 95%CI = −0.827–1.101), but that at the 7(th) post-operative day was higher in cirrhotic patients with PVT than in those without PVT (pooled SMD = 1.224, 95%CI = 0.277–2.171). CONCLUSION: D-dimer might be regarded as a diagnostic marker for PVT in liver cirrhosis. In addition, postoperative D-dimer testing is worthwhile for the diagnosis of PVT after portal hypertension-related surgery.