Background and aims:Due to the invasiveness of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy,non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis have been widely established by numerous studies.A questionnaire survey,whic...Background and aims:Due to the invasiveness of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy,non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis have been widely established by numerous studies.A questionnaire survey,which was aimed at understanding the current knowledge about non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis,was distributed among the members of Gastroenterology Branch of the Liaoning Medical Association.Methods:A questionnaire assessing the knowledge about non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices was sent to 42 members who participated in the entire ninth committee.They were from 33 hospitals in 13 cities of Liaoning Province,China.Results:Overall,97.6%(41/42)of participants responded to the questionnaire.A majority of participants were chief physicians(85.4%),had>20 years of experience in clinical work of digestive diseases(80.5%)and worked at tertiary hospitals(97.6%).In 46.3%of participants’departments,there were>200 patients with liver cirrhosis and gastroesophageal varices admitted every year.In 90.2%of participants’departments,upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was regularly employed for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal varices.Only six(15%)participants often used non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in clinical practice.Thirty(75%)participants knew at least one non-invasive diagnostic test for varices.The knowledge of at least one non-invasive diagnostic test was significantly associated with the number of cirrhotic patients with varices(P¼0.038)or the regular use of gastrointestinal endoscopy to diagnose varices(P¼0.022).Conclusions:This questionnaire survey suggested that non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis were rarely or never used in clinical practices in Liaoning Province,China.Reliable,non-invasive indexes should be further explored in a well-designed multi-center observational study.展开更多
文摘Background and aims:Due to the invasiveness of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy,non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis have been widely established by numerous studies.A questionnaire survey,which was aimed at understanding the current knowledge about non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis,was distributed among the members of Gastroenterology Branch of the Liaoning Medical Association.Methods:A questionnaire assessing the knowledge about non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices was sent to 42 members who participated in the entire ninth committee.They were from 33 hospitals in 13 cities of Liaoning Province,China.Results:Overall,97.6%(41/42)of participants responded to the questionnaire.A majority of participants were chief physicians(85.4%),had>20 years of experience in clinical work of digestive diseases(80.5%)and worked at tertiary hospitals(97.6%).In 46.3%of participants’departments,there were>200 patients with liver cirrhosis and gastroesophageal varices admitted every year.In 90.2%of participants’departments,upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was regularly employed for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal varices.Only six(15%)participants often used non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in clinical practice.Thirty(75%)participants knew at least one non-invasive diagnostic test for varices.The knowledge of at least one non-invasive diagnostic test was significantly associated with the number of cirrhotic patients with varices(P¼0.038)or the regular use of gastrointestinal endoscopy to diagnose varices(P¼0.022).Conclusions:This questionnaire survey suggested that non-invasive diagnostic tests for varices in liver cirrhosis were rarely or never used in clinical practices in Liaoning Province,China.Reliable,non-invasive indexes should be further explored in a well-designed multi-center observational study.
