Can we consider the right hepatic lobe size/albumin ratio a noninvasive predictor of oesophageal varices in hepatitis C virus-related liver cirrhotic Egyptian patients?

Background: The current guidelines recommend the screening of all cirrhotic patients by endoscopy, but repeated endoscopic examinations are unpleasant for patients and have a high cost impact and burden on endoscopic units. The aim of this study is to evaluate the optimal liver lobe size/albumin ratio and to compare this ratio with spleen size, platelet count and platelet count/spleen diameter ratio as potential noninvasive predictors of oesophageal varices in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver cirrhosis in Egyptian patients.

Methods: This prospective study included one hundred patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis.