Ultrasonographic Determination of Portal Vein Diameter Among Adults with and without Chronic Liver Disease at Selected Referral Hospitals in Southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Measuring portal vein diameter (PVD) is a feasible method of detecting portal vein hypertension, which is a primary and fatal complication of chronic liver disease (CLD) and is usually diagnosed very late. However, there is a paucity of morphometric information on portal vein diameter in the Ethiopian population. Hence, it is important to determine the portal vein diameter among adults with and without chronic liver disease. PURPOSE: The study aimed to identify how PVD is affected by age, sex, and anthropometric measurements in patients with and without CLD. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 participants (110 CLD patients and 110 controls) who have visited the radiology unit at selected Hospitals. Patients with CLD were selected consecutively as they present while controls were selected by a systematic sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Correlation and independent t-test were used to assess the relations. A statistically significant association was declared at P-value <0.05. RESULTS: Mean portal vein diameter for CLD patients was 17.03±1.97 mm with a range of 12.8−20.8mm and 10.79±1.27mm with a range of 7.70–13.25mm for the control group. Age, weight, and body mass index had a positive correlation with portal vein diameter in both groups. The mean portal vein diameter increased by 21.34% during deep inspiration in the control group. CONCLUSION: The mean portal vein diameter among patients with CLD was higher than that of the control group. A significant gender-based difference was recorded in the portal vein diameter of the control group only. Ultrasonography is a non-invasive, readily available diagnostic tool for portal vein pathology. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended for clinicians to take into consideration age, sex and anthropometric measurements while measuring PVD.