Fluid Electrophoresis as a Tool for Diagnosis in Ascitic Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Ascites is a condition in which there is accumulation of pathological fluid within the abdominal cavity. It is a challenging problem for healthcare personnel due to different pathological causes. To make a differential diagnosis, many investigations are needed. These investigations mainly depend on the analysis of ascitic fluids. Aim: To determine electrophoresis patterns in ascitic fluid and to relate the findings to each established diagnosis. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted at Khartoum and Alshaab Teaching Hospitals in Khartoum state, Sudan, from May 2018 to August 2018. The study population included all patients who were confirmed to have ascites using ultrasound. Fresh ascitic fluid samples were obtained from a total of 35 patients. All safety and aseptic conditions were applied. Immediately after collection, the samples were brought to the laboratory for electrophoresis of ascitic fluids. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics in terms of frequency and percentage. Results: The study findings revealed that most of the patients were men 26 (74.3%) and were over 50 years old 16 (45.7%). The majority of them were diagnosed with Liver Cirrhosis (LC) (28.6%), while a few (5.7%) suffered from Periportal Fibrosis (PF), Hepatocarcinoma (HC), Ovarian Carcinoma (OC), Heart Failure (HF), or Peritonitis (PT). Different patterns of ascitic electrophoresis were detected in diagnosed patients with ascites. About 29 (82.9%) patients had specific electrophoresis patterns that helped with diagnosis, while only 6 (17.1%) did not. Conclusion: Liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatitis B bands were specific compared to normal serum patterns, while no changes in ascitic fluid electrophoresis were observed in HF.

Keywords

• abdominal cavity
• ascitic fluid
• diagnosis
• liver cirrhosis