Sonographic Measurement and Sex Variability of Portal Vein in a Sample of Sudanese Adults

Abstract

Background: Measurements of the normal portal venous dimension in a species population is so crucial. portal vein can be measured by several methods for assessing different parameters, Computed topography (CT) and sonographic imaging are common examples. The diagnosis of portal hypertension depends on the transverse portal vein diameter (normal diameter from 6-15 mm). The aim of this study is to assess the portal vein diameter and correlate the diameter with age, sex, weight, height and BMI in Sudanese populations. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that included a sample of Sudanese adults who were requested to have routine abdominal sonographic scanning due to reasons not related to liver or portal vein problems. The study was carried out at the Radiology Department of Qatar Alnada Hospital, Umbadda, Khartoum, Sudan 2022. Results: In this study, 376 participants were included of which more than half were females (56.1%, n=211), while 165 (43.9%) were males. The mean age of the participants was 38.12 + 15.57 years. The mean portal vein diameter was 10.79 + 1.27 millimeters. From this study the portal vein diameter varied with age (p value = 0.000), weight (p value = 0.002), height (p value = 0.000) and sex (p value = 0.000). It is not related to BMI (p value = 0.3). Conclusion: This study revealed that the portal vein diameter has positive correlation with age, sex, height, and weight of the person and has no correlation with the BMI.