Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis: Incidence, Outcomes and Anticoagulation
Key facts
- Where
- Beijing, Hengshui, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shenzhen, and Wuxi, ChinaSee the 7 sites
Where in China
- Beijing YouAn Hospital,Capital Medical UniversityBeijing, ChinaContact: Huiguo DingNo longer taking part
- Peking University First HospitalBeijing, ChinaContact: Ming HeNo longer taking part
- Hengshui No. 3 People's HospitalHengshui, ChinaContact: Suoxiang ZhangNo longer taking part
- Qingdao No.6 People's HospitalQingdao, ChinaContact: Wei GouNo longer taking part
- Qinhuangdao No. 3 People's HospitalQinhuangdao, ChinaContact: Liang MiaoNo longer taking part
- Shenzhen Third People's HospitalShenzhen, ChinaContact: Qingxian CaiNo longer taking part
- Wuxi No. 5 People's HospitalWuxi, ChinaContact: Yuanwang QiuNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Peking University First Hospital
- Trial code
- NCT07422701
- Record updated
- 20 February 2026
- Original description
Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a blood-clot complication that occurs in some people with liver cirrhosis and can worsen bleeding, ascites, encephalopathy and survival. However, doctors still lack reliable tools to predict who will develop PVT, how much it really shortens life, and whether anticoagulation (blood-thinner) treatment clearly improves outcomes and is safe.This multicentre, bidirectional cohort study will follow about 2,500 adults with cirrhosis cared for at seven major hospitals in China. The team will first review 1,682 historical cases recorded since 2010 and then prospectively enrol another 840 patients from June 2025 onward. Participants may or may not already have PVT when they enter the study. All will undergo routine blood tests and abdominal imaging, and will be followed at roughly 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after discharge, through clinic visits, hospital records or telephone calls.Read full original descriptionShow less
Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a blood-clot complication that occurs in some people with liver cirrhosis and can worsen bleeding, ascites, encephalopathy and survival. However, doctors still lack reliable tools to predict who will develop PVT, how much it really shortens life, and whether anticoagulation (blood-thinner) treatment clearly improves outcomes and is safe.This multicentre, bidirectional cohort study will follow about 2,500 adults with cirrhosis cared for at seven major hospitals in China. The team will first review 1,682 historical cases recorded since 2010 and then prospectively enrol another 840 patients from June 2025 onward. Participants may or may not already have PVT when they enter the study. All will undergo routine blood tests and abdominal imaging, and will be followed at roughly 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after discharge, through clinic visits, hospital records or telephone calls.
The study has three goals :
1. Identify risk factors for new PVT and build an easy-to-use prediction model. 2. Clarify the impact of PVT on prognosis, especially all-cause death and decompensation of cirrhosis. 3. Evaluate real-world anticoagulation: patients who receive blood-thinners will be compared with those who do not, looking at survival, clot progression or resolution, and major bleeding events.
Because no experimental drug or random assignment is involved, participation does not change a patient's routine care. All personal information will be de-identified and protected according to Chinese data-security laws. Results from this study are expected to help doctors recognise high-risk patients earlier and choose safer, more effective anticoagulation strategies to improve quality of life and survival in cirrhosis.
Inclusion: Age ≥ 18 years; Clinically or histologically confirmed liver cirrhosis (any etiology); Contrast-enhanced abdominal ultrasound, CT, or MRI performed within 3 months before enrollment to document presence or absence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT); Complete baseline clinical, laboratory, and imaging data available; Complete baseline clinical, laboratory, and imaging data available; Able and willing to provide written informed consent and comply with 24-month follow-up.
Exclusion: Concomitant malignant tumor, including hepatocellular carcinoma; Previous transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), splenectomy, or liver transplantation; Major surgery or severe trauma within 6 months prior to enrollment; Known hereditary thrombophilia or active systemic inflammatory disease; Inability or unwillingness to participate in scheduled follow-up (e.g., cognitive impairment, residence far from study sites); Pregnancy or breastfeeding.