Background: The course of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is determined by clinical symptoms and histological findings. The present study examined the prognostic importance of imaging parameters in PBC.
Methods: The volumes of the liver and spleen of patients with PBC were assessed by computed tomography (CT). The volume ratio of liver to spleen (LV/SV ratio) was evaluated and used for further analyses.
Results: The prognosis was significantly poorer in PBC patients with a low, rather than high, LV/SV ratio. The Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that the serum bilirubin level and the LV/SV ratio could predict the prognosis of PBC patients. In addition, the LV/SV ratio was significantly lower in patients who developed symptoms (s-PBC) than in those who remained asymptomatic (a-PBC) during the observation period.
Conclusions: The LV/SV ratio is of prognostic importance in patients with PBC.