A case of Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis in hepatitis C infection successfully treated with interferon beta after balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration for gastric varices

Abstract

Sustained virological response was achieved by interferon beta treatment in a case of hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis with a Child-Pugh score of 8 and gastric varices. A 52-year-old man with cirrhosis due to HCV-genotype 2a and low viral load underwent balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration for F3 gastric varices. Although mild jaundice remained, his percent prothrombin time improved from 55.3% to more than 70% after treatment, and he was given interferon beta for 32 weeks. One year after interferon treatment, serum HCV-RNA is negative and Child-Pugh score has decreased to 5 as a result of improved jaundice. Interferon therapy should be considered, even in patients with advanced HCV cirrhosis and portal hypertension, if the patient has HCV-genotype 2 and low viral load.