Sonographic Portal Vein Biometry in Apparently Healthy Children in Northeastern Nigeria

This study aimed at determining the mean portal vein diameter (PVD) based on age, gender, and anthropometric variables.

This was a cross-sectional prospective study carried out among apparently healthy children aged 0-18 years at the radiology department of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi, from November 2016 to April 2017. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional committee on ethics and the head of radiology department in ATBUTH, Bauchi. Written and informed consent was obtained from all the participants, through their parents or guardians and from the head teachers of their schools before the study. Participants (children) were recruited (voluntarily) from primary and junior secondary schools within the vicinity of the hospital, and from parents who consented for their children to participate in the study. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages) and Pearson product-moment correlation were used for the analysis. Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05.

There were 111 (58.2%) males and 99 (47.14%) females. The individuals were between the ages of <1-18 years with mean age of 8.8 ± 5.8. Participants' mean PVD, chest circumference, and body mass index (BMI) for the males were 6.96 ± 1.86 mm, 0.60 ± 0.08 mm, and 15.73 ± 1.40, respectively, and the mean PVD, chest circumference, and BMI for females were 6.60 ± 1.68 mm, 0.58 ± 0.09 mm, and 15.73 ± 1.42, respectively. A positive relationship was found between PVD and some anthropometric parameters.

The mean PVD in this study was 6.85 ± 1.18 mm, and the PVD correlates positively with some anthropometric variables among children in the studied population.