Laparoscopic and histologcal findings in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. correlation with platelet count

Thrombocytopenia in pawls with chronic liver disease (LD) is associated with portal hypertension. Purpose: to find aconetedion between LD assessed by diagnostic lapatoscopic (DL) findings and histology (grade and stage) with platele count (PQ. Mathods. 203 patients (pts) with the diagnosis of chronic HCV, who had DL with liver biopsy in our center between July, 1993, and November, 1996, were retrospectively evaluated. None of tee pts had evidence of decompensafed LD and had not received treatment for HCV. There were three groups in the study population: Group 1 pts wKh PC below 140,000/μL (low); group 2 pts with PC between 140-180,000/μL (low nonnaft group 3 pts with PC above 180,000/μL (normal). The gross aspect of the liver in DL was described as normal, hypsremic. irregular and cirrhotic in increasing degree of severity.Result severity of LD is noted below: //////////// Normal Hyperemic Irregular Cirrhosis Group 1 4(7%) 7(12%) 15(26%) 31(54%) Group 2 16(29%) 11(20%) 15(27%) 14(25%) Group 3 20(22%) 22(24%) 34(38%) 14(16%) ////////// Grade 0 Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Group 1 0(0%) 9(17%) 12(23%) 17(32%) 15(28%) Group 2 0(0%) 11(22%) 10(20%) 21(41%) 9(18%) Group 3 5(5%) 14(15%) 29(32%) 22(24%) 21(23%) //////////// Stage0-2 Staged Group l 31(58%) 22(42%) Group 2 38(72%) 15(28%) Group 3 64 (70%) 27(30%) LD at DL Oiyperemic-cirrhotic) was seen in 93%, 69% and 78% in groups 1,2 and 3 respectively. Most of the pts with IX) in group 1 were cimhotics(54%) compared with grours 2 and 3, were te seventy of LD was uniformly. No correlation was found with grade or stage on liver biopsy. Conclusion 1) A platelet count below 140,000/μL is an indirect market for cimhosis in pts with chronic HCV. 2) A low normal platelet count does not exclude the possibility of severe liver disease as seen at diagnostic laparoscopy.