Platelet Indices as Potential Predictors of Non-tumoral Portal Vein Thrombosis in Patients with Cirrhosis

Background and Aim: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is frequently seen in patients with cirrhosis. While different risk factors for PVT have been reported, such as decreased portal blood flow velocity (PBFV) and parameters related with severity of portal hypertension but causes remains uncertain. Present study aims to identify potential blood biomarker in predicting non-tumoral portal vein thrombosis in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology from January 2023 to May 2023. Patient data from January 2016 to January 2023 were retrieved from the medical record department. Patients of age 18 and above with conformed diagnoses of liver cirrhosis, irrespective of etiology, were selected. Patients were equally divided into two groups, i.e., case and control, based on the presence and absence of portal vein thrombosis and were matched with age, gender and etiology. Results: A total of 2895 were identified. Out of 2895, 79 were diagnosed with portal vein thrombosis. Most of the participants were male (75.8%) with the mean age of 50.95±11.49. Alcohol (56.4%) followed by cryptogenic (18.5%) were the most common reported etiology. Binary logistic regression was applied and an identified, lower levels of platelets and higher levels of mean platelet volume as independent predictors for portal vein thrombosis. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed the highest significance in the area under the curve (AUC) for platelet (83.5) and mean platelet volume (81.6) with the cut off value of 8.65 fL and 124.5x103/uL respectively. Conclusion: Increased mean platelet volume and decreased platelet counts are the predictive factors for the portal vein thrombosis. Present study recommends prospective clinical trials to evaluate the potential role of platelet and mean platelet volume as a predictor for portal vein thrombosis in patients with liver cirrhosis.