Table 3 from Detection and grading for esophageal varices in patients with chronic liver damage: comparison of gadolinium-enhanced and unenhanced steady-state coherent MR images. | Semantic Scholar (2024)

Altough esophagogastroduodenoscopy remains the golden standard, there are some ultrasound-based parameters which, used within complex algorithms, may represent a viable alternative for the diagnosis and surveilance of esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis.

A critical review of the literature was performed concerning non-invasive or minimally invasive methods of screening for esophageal varices, as there is still a lack of large prospective studies and low specificity has been reported for the liver stiffness and platelet count combination.

Current and upcoming noninvasive imaging methods for diagnosis and assessment of severity of PH are discussed, including hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement.

To identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐based parameters associated with gastroesophageal varices (GEVs) in patients with chronic liver disease, MRI is used as a surrogate for evaluating the severity of liver disease.

The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine that is relevant to any one of these headings, if, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to the headings.

The results suggest the potential value of diagnosing the presence and grade of esophageal varices on MR imaging of the liver for patients with chronic liver damage, and gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging may increase the potentialvalue.

Liver CT is useful for the detection and grading of esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients and a diameter of 3 mm may be an appropriate screening threshold for large clinically significant varices.

Transesophageal MR imaging is a feasible method to assess the morphologic and hemodynamic characteristics of esophageaal varices before and after pharmacologic treatment.

Multislab balanced turbo field-echo imaging has potential as an MR angiography technique for depiction of normal and diseased renal arteries.

The intraabdominal esophagus was demonstrated satisfactorily, and the findings were correlated with the presence of esophageal varices at endoscopy and angiography and at Doppler examinations.

Three-dimensional gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography may have the potential to enable accurate diagnosis of vascular complications of liver transplantation.

MR CISS imaging is superior to T1-W and T2-W imaging for demonstrating the neural placode and nerve roots, although problems remain in terms of artifacts.

Except for demonstrating arterial details and esophageal varices, CT was found equal or superior to angiography in mapping portosystemic collaterals, and to disclose concomitant pathology.

Endoscopic screening for newly diagnosed cirrhotic patients and all other cirrhotics who are medically stable, willing to be treated prophylactically, and would benefit from medical or endoscopic therapies are recommended.

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