The Extent of Diffuse Intravascular Coagulation and Fibrinolysis in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Summary: Twenty-five patients with different stages of liver cirrhosis were evaluated with regard to the degree of liver synthesis reduction, the extent of the decrease of blood coagulation factors and/or alterations of the fibrinolytic system. For the assessment of the residual level of liver synthesis we used pseudo-cholinesterase and serum albumin as references. We did not find a correlation between these quantities and antithrombin III or fibrinogen, but highly significant inverse correlations with tissue plaminogen activator activity and D-dimer concentration. We found considerable alterations in the concentrations of the coagulation and fibri-nolysis factors, with the exception of fibrinogen and plasminogen activator inhibitor. Significant increases were seen for thrombin-antithrombin III complex, tissue plasminogen activator activity and D-dimer, while significant decreases were seen for antithrombin III and oc2-antiplasmin, compared with a group of healthy volunteers. In the group of patients with liver cirrhosis and reduced liver synthesis, as documented by lowered pseudo-cholinesterase and serum albumin, the reduction of both antithrombin III and oc2-antiplasmin was most prominent. Intravascular coagulation was negligibly small. For the fibrinolytic system, the increase of tissue plasminogen activator, the decrease of the flbrinolysis inhibitor (a2-antiplasmin) and the elevated D-dimer concentration seem to be important. These results suggest an acceleration of flbrinolysis and the prolonged presence of cross-linked fibrin degradation products