Is there a Correlation between Hepatic Venous Indices and Main Pulmonary Artery Diameter?

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound

Background:

• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious condition affecting the pulmonary artery.
• Accurate assessment of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PAP) is crucial for PH diagnosis and management.
• Non-invasive imaging techniques are sought to evaluate PAP effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between middle hepatic venous indices (HVIs) measured by pulsed Doppler ultrasonography (PW-DUS) and main pulmonary artery (mPA) diameter.
• To determine if PW-DUS can serve as a surrogate for estimating PAP.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 66 participants was conducted.
• Hepatic venous indices (HVIs) were calculated from PW-DUS spectral Doppler waveforms.
• Main pulmonary artery (mPA) diameter was measured using computed tomography (CT).
• Correlation analysis was performed between HVIs and mPA diameter.

Main Results:

• A significant and strong positive correlation was observed between HVIs and mPA diameter (r=0.730-0.765, p<0.001).
• Mean HVI values were 0.50 ±0.20 (A/S), 0.28 ±0.12 (A/A+S), and 0.21 ±0.07 (A/A+S+D).
• Mean mPA diameter was 24.0 ±3.3 mm.
• Inter-observer reliability for measurements was high.

Conclusions:

• Hepatic venous indices (HVIs) show a strong correlation with main pulmonary artery (mPA) diameter.
• Increasing HVIs are associated with increased mPA diameter, reflecting elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PAP).
• PW-DUS offers a cost-effective, accessible, and radiation-free method for evaluating PAP.