ALB and Ascites: Table 4 lists the clinical parameters of liver function studied in our patients. Our patients tended to have low albumin, low platelet counts and ascites, all reflecting higher degrees of liver dysfunction. In univariate analyses, low serum VEGF levels was consistently associated with higher degrees of liver dysfunction as reflected by the presence of ascites (p=0.03), low platelet counts (p=0.009) and high serum bilirubin concentrations (p=0.023). There was also a trend towards a lower serum VEGF level in patients with splenomegaly (p=0.20), and high INR (p=0.14) (Table 5).