Computer aided clinical discrimination between non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Thirty eight patients with Non-Cirrhotic Portal Fibrosis (NCPF) and 64 cirrhotics were included in the study. The diagnosis was established in all cases with liver biopsy and splenoportography. Age, sex, duration of symptoms, number ot bleeds, ascites, hepatornegaly, splenomegaly, encephalopathy and presence of abdominal veins were used clinically to distinguish betweeii the diseases. Age, number of bleeds, liver enlargement, encephalopathy and presence of abdominal veins were not significantly different between the two diseases. Computer aided discriminant analysis was used to determine the relative importance and weightage to be given in discrimination. NCPF and cirrhosis could be discriminated with 82% accuracy using splenic size and ascitic score. Use of all significant parameters resulted in only a marginal additional discrimination of 1% (JPMA: 30, 33 1983).