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Recent data suggest that the degree of portal hypertension in cirrhotic patients predicts not only development of varices and variceal bleeding but also other complications of cirrhosis, such as ascites and hepatocellular carcinoma, and survival. Currently, portal pressure is assessed by measuring the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG); however, measuring HVPG is expensive, is invasive, and requires substantial expertise. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM), using transient elastography, can approximate liver fibrosis. In this prospective single-center Italian study, investigators determined whether LSM could be used to estimate portal pressure.
Sixty-one consecutive hepatitis C virus–positive patients who were diagnosed with cirrhosis ba…