Effect of spleen operation on antiviral treatment in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhotic patients

Figure 1 Flowchart of selection of studies for inclusion.

Figure 2 Impact of hepatitis C virus genotype on antiviral treatment outcomes in cirrhotic patients with spleen operation.

Figure 3 Impact of spleen operation on sustained virological response in six controlled studies. SO: Spleen operation; Non-SO: No spleen operation.

Figure 4 Impact of spleen operation on sustained virological response of different hepatitis C virus genotypes in controlled studies. Spleen operation did not increase sustained virological response rate in cirrhotic patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection (A), but did improve virological response in genotypes 2/3-infected individuals (B). SO: Spleen operation; Non-SO: No spleen operation.

Figure 5 Comparison of adherence to antiviral therapy in controlled studies. The random-effects model showed that spleen operation decreased the incidence of interferon (IFN) dosage reduction (A). There was no significant difference in withdrawal of IFNα-based therapy between patients with SO plus IFN and those with IFNα treatment alone (B). SO: Spleen operation; Non-SO: No spleen operation.