Value of Serum Albumin Gradient in Differential Diagnosis of Ascitic Etiologies

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value and reliability of SAAG and other laboratory examinations in patients with ascites.Methods:Sixty-eight patients with ascites were reviewed retrospectively.The patients were divided into 2 groups,the group associated with portal hypertension(38 patients)and the group without portal hypertension(30 patients).SAAG was calculated using the serum and ascetic 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(18.25±2.03)g/L and(6.84±1.39)g/L(P0.01).Using SAAG≥11 g/L as the cutoff value,the diagnostic sensitivity for ascites associated with portal hypertension was 94.21%,diagnostic specificity was 96.67%,diagnostic accuracy was 95.59%.Conclusion: The coincidence rate of SAAG differentiation method is evidently higher than traditional ascites differentiation methods,but it can't instead of the detection of ascetic haryote's number and cytological detection.Therefore,the associated detection of the two methods would effectively increase the accurate rate of the diagnosis of the cause of ascities.