Identification of liver fibrosis using the hepatic vein waveform in patients with Fontan circulation

Liver fibrosis caused by congestive hepatopathy has emerged as an important complication after Fontan procedure. We evaluated the utility of the hepatic vein (HV) waveform using Doppler ultrasound for identification of liver fibrosis in Fontan patients.

We investigated the HV waveforms in 41 Fontan patients and assessed correlations with clinical parameters, liver fibrosis markers, and hemodynamic data.

Based on our preliminary analysis of 64 adult patients with chronic liver disease who underwent liver biopsy, we classified HV waveforms into five types with reference to the degree of flattening (from type 1, normal triphasic waveform; to type 5, a monophasic waveform indicating cirrhosis), and confirmed a significant correlation between waveform pattern and fibrosis stage. Notably, we detected HV waveforms in all of the Fontan patients and classified them into five types. The HV waveform pattern positively correlated with γ-glutamyl transferase and hyaluronic acid levels, and negatively correlated with albumin level and platelet count, but did not correlate with central venous pressure or brain natriuretic peptide level, suggesting that HV waveform could reflect pathophysiological changes in the liver without being affected by hepatic congestion. The highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the HV waveform for detecting advanced liver fibrosis, as defined by ultrasonic findings and clinical features, was 0.829 (81.8% sensitivity, 73.3% specificity), which was higher than that of other non-invasive fibrosis markers.

Hepatic vein waveforms change in accordance with liver fibrosis progression in Fontan patients, and can be a useful indicator of liver fibrosis after the Fontan procedure.