Value of Serum Ascitic Albumin Gradient in Differential Diagnosis of Ascitic Etiologies

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value and reliability of SAAG and other laboratory tests in patients with ascites.Methods Case records of 53 patients with ascites were reviewed retrospectively.The patients were divided into 2 groups,the groups associated with portal hypertension(30 patients)and the group without portal hypertension(23 patients).The SAAG were calculated using the serum and ascitic albumin levels on the same day.Results The mean level and standard deviation of SAAG of the group associated with portal hypertension and the group without portal hypertension was(18.27±2.05)g/L,and(6.72±1.38)g/L,respectively(P 0.001).Using SAAG≥11g/L as the cut-off value,the diagnostic sensitivity for ascites associated with portal hypertension was 96.67%,diagnostic specificity was 91.30%,diagnostic accuracy 94.34%.Conclusion The coincidence rate of SAAG differentiation method is evidently higher than the traditional ascites differentiation methods,but it can't instead of the detection of ascitic haryotes number and cytological detection.Therefore,the associated detection of the two methods would effectively increase the accurate rate of the diagnosis of the couse of ascities.