CHESS Criteria for Varices Screening in Compensated Advanced Chronic Liver Disease (CHESS2001/APPHA2001)

Variceal hemorrhage is the serious complication in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD). To evaluate the bleeding risk of varices in cACLD, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) should be performed. Once identified with medium-large varices, or small varices with red signs or Child-Pugh C class, defined as varices needing treatment (VNT), the patients with cACLD are recommended to receive the non-selective beta blockers or endoscopic variceal ligation per Baveno VI consensus. However, EGD is limited by its invasiveness and uncomfortableness. The Baveno VI criteria, which was validated by 310 patients dominant with hepatitis C virus (55.0%), recommended that EGD could be spared in patients with liver stiffness (LS) \< 20kPa and platelet count \> 150×10\^9 cells/L. Furthermore, the expanded-Baveno VI criteria (LS \< 25kPa and platelet count \> 110×10\^9 cells/L), based on European cohort with hepatitis C virus (62.8%), was able to spare more unnecessary endoscopies than the Baveno VI criteria with VNT missed rate \< 5%. Nevertheless, a recent Asian-pacific study indicated that though Baveno VI criteria was able to avoid screening endoscopy with 27.6%, it increased the odds of missing VNT in hepatitis B virus-related cACLD. Notably, this study also suggested that the expanded-Baveno VI criteria was not suited for Asian-pacific cohort with hepatitis B virus as the dominant cause with VNT missed rate \> 5%. Our study aims to develop and validate an optimal cutoff value of LS and platelet count (CHESS criteria) to safely avoid more unnecessary endoscopies in patients with hepatitis B virus-dominated cACLD.

Variceal hemorrhage is the serious complication in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD). To evaluate the bleeding risk of varices in cACLD, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) should be performed. Once identified with medium-large varices, or small varices with red signs or Child-Pugh C class, defined as varices needing treatment (VNT), the patients with cACLD are recommended to receive the non-selective beta blockers or endoscopic variceal ligation per Baveno VI consensus. However, EGD is limited by its invasiveness and uncomfortableness. The Baveno VI criteria, which was validated by 310 patients dominant with hepatitis C virus (55.0%), recommended that EGD could be spared in patients with liver stiffness (LS) \< 20kPa and platelet count \> 150×10\^9 cells/L. Furthermore, the expanded-Baveno VI criteria (LS \< 25kPa and platelet count \> 110×10\^9 cells/L), based on European cohort with hepatitis C virus (62.8%), was able to spare more unnecessary endoscopies than the Baveno VI criteria (40.0% vs 21.5%, p \< 0.001) with VNT missed rate \< 5%. Nevertheless, a recent Asian-pacific study indicated that though Baveno VI criteria was able to avoid screening endoscopy with 27.6%, it increased the odds of missing VNT in hepatitis B virus-related cACLD. Notably, this study also suggested that the expanded-Baveno VI criteria was not suited for Asian-pacific cohort with hepatitis B virus as the dominant cause with VNT missed rate \> 5%. Our study aims to develop and validate an optimal cutoff value of LS and platelet count (CHESS criteria) to safely avoid more unnecessary endoscopies in patients with hepatitis B virus-dominated cACLD.