Comparative Study of Various Sonographic Doppler Parameters of Chronic Hepatitis C Patients with Healthy Individuals of South India

Aim: The aim of this prospective study was to determine and compare the various parameters and indices of portal vein, hepatic artery and splenic artery by sonographic Doppler imaging in chronic hepatitis C patients and healthy individuals. Methods: 45 Chronic Hepatitis C patients and 90 Healthy adults formed two groups. All participants underwent color Doppler imaging of the portal vein, hepatic artery and splenic artery by a single radiologist and sonographic Doppler measurements were obtained. The examination protocol included measurements of portal vein and hepatic artery diameter (D), Time averaged velocity (TAV), blood flow (BF), Doppler Perfusion Index (DPI) of liver, liver vascularity index (LVI), congestive index of portal vein (CI), venous pulsatility index of portal vein (VPI) and splenic artery pulsatility index (SAPI). Results: Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) patients show statistically significant increase in portal vein diameter, blood flow, SAPI value and Significant decrease in portal vein TAV, hepatic artery diameter, TAV& blood flow, DPI, LVI, CI and VPI comparision to normal healthy individuals. Conclusion: Sonographic Doppler parameters of portal vein, hepatic artery and splenic artery can detect significant hemodynamic changes in Chronic Hepatitis C patients. Applying these simple Doppler indices can decrease the need for staging liver biopsy.