Clinical significance of peritoneal and retroperitoneal edema in patients with de-compensated cirrhosis as demonstrated by CT scan

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of peritoneal and retroperitoneal edema in patients with de-compensated cirrhosis (DCC). Methods: Forty-four patients, were identified with DCC on the basis of clinic and laboratory examinations, except the cases with mesenteric, omental and retroperitoneal edema caused by inflammatory and malignant diseases. The diagnosis of edema depended upon hyper-density in peritoneal and retroperitoneal. The degree of edema was divided into minor, middle, and sever types based on the extent of edema. Ascites, varices, serum albumin (ALB) levels, and hyaluronic acid (HA) levels were also documented. Correlations between the laboratory and CT findings were analyzed. Results: The severity of peritoneal edema was correlated with decreasing serum ALB (rs = 0.7088, P < 0.001), increasing serum HA (rs = 0.5294, P < 0.01) and deteriorating ascites (rs = 0.5440, P < 0.005). The correlation between varices and severity of peritoneal edema was not found (rs = 0.1335, P > 0.05). Conclusion: CT findings of the edema in peritoneal and retroperitoneal may indicate the severity of the liver cirrhosis