Sasmita Tuladhar¹, Shailendra Katwal^2* , Ghanshyam Gurung³ and Umesh Khanal³

^{Received: 30 July 2022 / Accepted: 19 September 2023 / Published online: 5 October 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2023}

Abstract
Background Doppler ultrasonography is essential to provide insights into hemodynamic alterations and liver function changes in pre-cirrhotic and cirrhotic patients. Utilizing Doppler examinations, this study aims to explore the correlation between hepatic arterial hemodynamics and Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores in chronic liver
disease patients.

Methods A study of 50 chronic liver disease patients included sonographic assessments, measuring liver, portal vein size, and flow. Hepatic artery velocity, resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and acceleration time (AT) were evaluated. Biochemical parameters (serum bilirubin, creatinine, INR) were used to calculate MELD scores, compared with different Doppler sonographic parameters.

Results The study found a mean peak systolic velocity (PSV) of 107.42 ± 48.10, with end-diastolic velocity (EDV)
of 26.40 ± 14.68, RI of 0.74 ± 0.06, and PI of 1.47 ± 0.24. The mean MELD score was 19.28 ± 6.09. Correlations between MELD scores and PSV, EDV, RI, PI, and AT did not yield statistically significant correlations. 80% of subjects displayed high RI (> 0.7) values in the hepatic artery, and a significant correlation was found between portal vein
thrombosis and hepatic artery PSV and RI (p < 0.05).

Conclusions Hepatic artery RI and PSV show a significant correlation with portal vein thrombosis. Doppler ultrasonography,
while not directly tied to MELD scores, is valuable for non-invasive liver disease monitoring when invasive methods are impractical. Further research is needed to unravel the relationships between hemodynamic changes, MELD scores, and clinical outcomes in a broader patient population.

Keywords Chronic liver disease, Doppler sonography, Hepatic artery velocity, MELD score

GKB-NON-2024-00194