Comparison of computed tomography and endoscopy in detecting esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients

PURPOSE: The role of multislice computed tomography in detecting eusophagealvarices and assesment of additional contrubition of effervescent granule usage in multislicecomputed tomography? s diagnostic efficiencyMATERIALS AND METHODS: Between may 2009 and november 2010, 50patients ( 23 female and 27 male; age range, 21-87 years; mean age, 57.84 years)diagnosed or preliminary diagnosed as cirrhosis after undergoing clinical assessment inKaradeniz Technical University Farabi Hopsital Gastroenterology and İnfectious DiseasesPoliclinics and underwent upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract endoscopic examination inGastroenterology Department were included in the study. Upper abdominal MDCT wasperformed to these patients within four weeks. Effervescent granule is used in 26 patientsfor esophageal dilatation before upper abdominal CT examination; whereas not used in 24patients.All of the patients? upper GI tract endoscopic examination reports and upperabdominal CT examination reports are compared. MDCT examination images of patients,who used and didn?t use effervescent, are assessed and Chi square test is used for statisticalanalysis of the two method?s diagnostic efficiency.SIGNS: For 50 cirrhotic patients included in our study; when upper GI tractendoscopic examination is accepted as gold standart for esophageal varices; MDCT has89 % sensitivity, 85% specitificity, 94 % positive predictive value, 73 % negativeprediktif value in detecting distal esophageal varices.With images acquired from patients who used effervescent; MDCT has 100%sensitivity, 71% spesitificity , 90% positive predictive value , 100 % negative predictivevalue in detecting distal esophageal varices. Detecting distal esophageal varices withMDCT images acquired from patients who didn?t use effervescent has; 77 % sensitivity,100 % spesitificity ,100 % positive predictive value , 60 % negative predictive valueThere was no statistically significant difference between two groups; who used anddidn? t use effervescent (P=0.155).RESULT: MDCT examination in is an alternative method to upper GI tractendoscopy in diagnosis and follow-up of esophageal varices.