Survival of patients with portal vein thrombosis: analysis based on disease onset.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To identify prevalent causes and determine survival rates of patients with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in the Western Saudi Arabia.

METHODOLOGY: Retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with chronic liver disease and portal vein thrombosis in two major cities in Western Saudi Arabia during the period 2000-2009.

RESULTS

Among 1349 patients screened, 109 patients met the inclusion criteria, 67 patients had acute PVT and 42 patients had chronic PVT. The relative risk of developing PVT is higher in males in whom acute PVT is 1.32 vs. 0.68 in females (95% CI: 090-1.94). Mean survival age of acute and chronic PVT (Kaplan-Meier) is 5.61 years (95% CI: 4.52-6.70). Univariate and multivariate regression analysis identified several variables in which international normalized ratio (INR) level on presentation was found to be a significant variable in survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Mean survival for acute or chronic PVT is about five years. The first determination of INR level is a useful predictor of survival.