Diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography for esophageal varices in liver cirrhosis: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Esophageal variceal bleeding is a life-threatening complication of liver cirrhosis. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was the gold standard for the diagnosis of esophageal varices (EVs). The study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of EVs and moderate-severe EVs in patients with liver cirrhosis.

METHODS

Medical records in cirrhotic patients who were admitted to our hospital between June 2012 and June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Two observers reviewed the contrast-enhanced CT scans to evaluate the presence and diameter of EVs. Area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 52 cirrhotic patients were included in our study. According to the endoscopic results, 13.5% of these patients did not have any EVs, 11.5% had mild EVs, and 75% had moderate-severe EVs. The AUC of contrast-enhanced CT scans for the diagnosis of EVs was 0.835. The sensitivity and specificity were 95.56% and 71.43%, respectively. The AUC of contrast-enhanced T scans for the diagnosis of moderate-severe EVs was 0.821. When the cut-off value for the diameter of EVs on contrast-enhanced CT scans was 3.9 mm, the sensitivity and specificity were 89.74% and 69.23%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrast-enhanced CT scans had a moderate diagnostic accuracy for EVs in liver cirrhosis. It might be useful to decrease the use of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in clinical practice.