Santosh Kumar, Iqbal Ahmed Memon, Mohammad Kaleem, Suhail A Alamani.
Prediction of Esophageal Varices in Cirrhotic Patients with Serum - Ascites Albumin Gradient.
J Liaquat Uni Med Health Sci Jan ;12(03):167-71.

OBJECTIVE: To identify commonest SAAG “serum-ascites albumin gradient” value in patients with cirrhotic disease having esophageal varices and to discover values of serum ascites and serum albumin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross sectional was conducted on 100 cirrhotic patients with ascites to calculate SAAG level in serum and ascitis fluid the value of SAAG was examined (=1.1 g/dl) and high SAAG was measured to be =1.1 g/dl and Low SAAG when it is <1.1g/dl to rank the esophageal varices. All the cases included in the study under went upper GI endoscopy. RESULTS: From total 100 patients, male were 62 and female were 38. SAAG was 2.01 ± 0.52. Esophageal varices (EV) found in 87 patients and were absent in 13 patients. Grades of the esophageal varices highlighted significant correlation with degree of SAAG (p<0.01) with r =0.55 (p<0.01) of Pearson correlation coefficient. With uses of ROC curve a SAAG value i.e. =1.65 ± 0.014 g/dl was an correct marker of the occurrence of EV; cutoff points for the higher predictive value 98% were positive, and 96% were nagetive. CONCLUSION: In the cirrhotic patients having ascites, the occurrence of EV is related only with SAAG and size of EV are mainly associated to the degree of SAAG. A SAAG value of =1.65 ± 0.014 g/dl is a helpful mean to predict the occurrence of EV in cirrhotic patients with ascites.

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