title: Comparison of Doppler ultrasonography and the hepatic venous pressure gradient in assessing portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This prospective study aimed to determine whether Doppler ultrasonography can represent the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) as an assessment of the severity of portal hypertension and the response to terlipressin, which reduces the portal pressure in liver cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The HVPG and the Doppler ultrasonographic parameters, such as the portal venous velocity and the splenic venous velocity, the pulsatility and the resistive index of the hepatic, splenic and renal arteries were measured in 138 patients with liver cirrhosis. The changes in the HVPG and the portal venous velocity after administering terlipressin were evaluated in 43 of the 138 patients. The patients who showed a reduction in the HVPG of more than 20% of the baseline were defined as responders to terlipressin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the Doppler ultrasonographic parameters correlated with the HVPG. Both the HVPG (28.0 +/- 19.8%) and the portal venous velocity (29.7 +/- 13.2%) showed a significant reduction after terlipressin administration. However, the portal venous velocity decreased significantly, not only in the responders (31.0 +/- 12.0%) but also in the non-responders (25.2 +/- 16.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Doppler ultrasonography does not represent the HVPG, and is therefore not suitable for replacing HVPG as a means of assessing the severity of portal hypertension and the response to drugs which reduce the portal pressure in liver cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Internal Medicine, Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeun Jong
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Soon Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Baik
authors.forename: Dong Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Moon Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Ki
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Ok
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Young Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joong Wha
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008236:Lypressin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D000077585:Terlipressin; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D008236:Lypressin; D000077585:Terlipressin