Value of sonography in establishing severity of liver cirrhosis:correlation of sonographic features with Childclass

This prospective study was designed to investigate the utility of sonography in establishing severity of liver cirrhosis as compared with Child class in clinical creteria. Seventy-our consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis were examined with sonography. This study included 50 males and 24 females, aged 35 to 72 years (mean ; 51) The number of patients in child A,B, and C group was 30,29,15 respectively. Sonographic features evaluated were hepatic parenchymal echo pattern, presence of nodularity of hepatic surface, degree of hepatic sonic attenuation,degree of obliteration of wall echo of the intrahepatic portal vein, size of the main portal vein, thickness of the gallbladder wall, size of the spleen, and presence of ascites. Each sonographic features was graded from 0 to depending upon the degree of severity, and was correlated with Child class of liver cirrhosis. Hepatic parenchymal echo pattern, presence of nodularity of hepatic surface, thickness of gallbladder wall, and presence of ascites were correlated well with Child class (p<0. 05). However, other sonographic features including degree of hepatic attenuation of sound, degree of obliteration of wall echo of intrahepatic portal vein, size of the main portal vein, and size of the spleen were not correlated with Child class (p>0.05). In conclusion, these results indicate that careful evaluation of sonographic features are helpful in predicting severity of liver cirrhosis