The baseline timepoint was considered

to be the date of t

The baseline timepoint was considered

to be the date of the first TE examination diagnostic of cirrhosis. The time-to-event was computed as the months elapsed from this timepoint to the different endpoints. Selumetinib cell line Kaplan-Meier estimates of the cumulative probability of survival were built and survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. For these analyses continuous variables were categorized according to the median value or cutoff points considered clinically relevant. Namely, the CTP score was divided into class A (5-6 points), B (7-9 points), or C (10-15 points) and MELD score was categorized using a cutoff value of 14. For LS and HCV viral load, the cutoff point with the best sensitivity and specificity as predictor of the emergence of decompensations was selected using receptor operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Additionally, LS was also categorized by other clinically relevant cutoff points. Those variables with a P ≤ 0.1 on univariate analyses were entered in Cox proportional hazard models. Also, age, sex, and

the achievement of sustained virological response (SVR) during follow-up were also included in these models. Finally, the presence of statistical interactions between LS, CTP, and MELD scores was evaluated by means of multivariate selleck products Cox regression analyses. Associations with P < 0.05 were considered significant. The hazard ratio (HR) and the respective 95% CIs were calculated. Comparisons between AUROC were performed using the Hanley and McNeil test. Also, the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) was computed to compare the ability of the models to predict outcomes.32 Likewise, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were calculated. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 19 Statistical Software Package (Chicago, IL) and STATA v. 9 (StataCorp, College Station, TX). The study was designed and conducted following the Helsinki Declaration. The Ethics Committee of the Hospital ID-8 Universitario de Valme approved the study. All the participant subjects gave written consent to participate in the study. In

all, 239 patients were included in this study. The median (Q1-Q3) follow-up at the end of the study period was 20.7 (range: 9.5-34.5) months. Twelve (5%) patients were lost to the follow-up. Fifty-eight (24%) patients had previously undergone a liver biopsy, with a median (Q1-Q3) elapsed time before enrolment of 37 (range: 26-62) months. The median (Q1-Q3) elapsed time from last clinical visit with evidence of lack of cirrhosis before enrolment was 9 (range: 3-27) months. The main characteristics of the study population are summarized in Table 1. At baseline, 223 (93%) patients had clinical, ultrasound, or histological data supporting the diagnosis of cirrhosis established by TE. Thirty-nine (16%) patients had previously received therapy against HCV without achieving SVR.

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