Association between liver stiffness measurement and portal vein thrombosis among patients with cirrhosis: A cross-sectional study

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a severe complication of liver cirrhosis, yet reliable early warning methods are lacking. As PVT is strongly associated with portal hypertension, liver stiffness measurement (LSM) serves as a noninvasive marker for assessing portal hypertension. Hence, the association between LSM and PVT requires further exploration. A total of 202 cirrhotic patients were enrolled and divided into PVT (n = 29) and non-PVT (n = 173) groups. Baseline data, laboratory indices, and LSM were compared between the groups. Risk factors were analyzed using logistic regression, and the diagnostic value of LSM was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The PVT group showed significantly higher levels of total bilirubin (TB), prothrombin time (PT), Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score, and LSM (26.2 kPa vs 13.8 kPa, P < .001). and lower albumin (ALB) and platelet count (PLT), Multivariate analysis identified LSM (OR = 1.045, P = .018) and CTP grade (OR = 5.132, P = .007) as independent risk factors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for LSM in predicting PVT was 0.768 (P < .001), with an optimal cutoff of 22.6 kPa (sensitivity, 65.5%; specificity, 79.2%). LSM demonstrated higher diagnostic efficacy in patients with CTP scores ≥ 6 (AUC = 0.762, P < .001) compared to those with CTP scores < 6 (AUC = 0.426, P = .61). Elevated LSM and CTP scores are independently associated with PVT. LSM exhibits greater diagnostic efficacy in patients with CTP scores ≥ 6. The combination of LSM and CTP score can serve as a critical indicator for early warning of PVT in patients with cirrhosis, prompting further diagnostic evaluation.