Question
Which of the following variables is NOT included in the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score for assessing the severity of chronic liver disease?
| A. |
Serum bilirubin
|
| B. |
Serum albumin
|
| C. |
Serum creatinine
|
| D. |
INR (International Normalised Ratio)
|
Show Answer
|
Correct Answer » C
Explanation
|
|
Clinical Reasoning for the Correct Answer:
– The Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score assesses chronic liver disease severity.
– The score consists of 5 parameters: serum bilirubin, serum albumin, prothrombin time/INR, ascites, and encephalopathy.
– Serum creatinine is NOT a parameter in the CTP score; it is, however, used in other scoring systems (e.g., Model for End-stage Liver Disease, MELD).
– Why Option A is Incorrect:
– Serum bilirubin is included in the CTP score.
– It reflects the liver’s ability to excrete bile.
– Why Option B is Incorrect:
– Serum albumin is part of the CTP score.
– Measures hepatic protein synthesis function.
– Why Option D is Incorrect:
– INR (International Normalised Ratio) or prothrombin time is a CTP variable.
– Reflects hepatic synthetic function (coagulopathy).
– Other Differential Considerations:
– Serum creatinine is used in the MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score, not CTP.
– MELD includes bilirubin, INR, and creatinine, discriminating it from CTP.