Splenic non-infarction volume determines a clinically significant hepatic venous pressure gradient response to partial splenic embolization in patients with cirrhosis and hypersplenism.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate changes in the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) by partial splenic embolization (PSE) and to identify the determinants of a clinically meaningful postoperative HVPG reduction.

METHODS

Sixty-eight patients with cirrhosis and hypersplenism who underwent PSE at our department between September 2007 and June 2020 were included. The HVPG was evaluated pre- and immediately post-PSE. The patients were divided into three groups according to their preprocedural HVPG: low-HVPG (< 10 mmHg, n = 22), intermediate-HVPG (10 mmHg ≤ HVPG < 16 mmHg, n = 33), and high-HVPG (≥ 16 mmHg, n = 13).

RESULTS

Overall, PSE significantly reduced HVPG from 12.2 ± 4.0 to 9.4 ± 3.6 mmHg (p < 0.01) with a relative decrease of 22.2 ± 20.4%. In addition, HVPG reductions were 19.4 ± 28.7%, 24.0 ± 15.9%, and 22.5 ± 13.3% in the low-, intermediate-, and high-HVPG groups, respectively, indicating no significant difference in HVPG reduction between the groups. An HVPG decrease of ≥ 20% from the baseline, defined in this study as a clinically significant HVPG response to PSE, was achieved in 55.9% of all patients. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses identified splenic non-infarction volume as an independent determinant of a 20% decrease in HVPG (p < 0.05), with a cut-off of 139.2 cm (sensitivity, 76.3%; specificity, 60.0%; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The splenic non-infarction volume, namely the residual functional spleen volume, independently determines a clinically significant HVPG response to PSE in patients with cirrhosis and hypersplenism.