Role of the chest radiograph in the preoperative assessment of the pulmonary function in patients with cirrhosis candidates to liver transplant.
OBJECTIVE
To appraise the role of chest radiography (CXR) in the clinical assessment of pulmonary complications occurring as a result of liver disease of any cause, a standardised reading of CXR was compared both with the results of lung function studies and with the severity of liver disease in 60 consecutive patients with cirrhosis candidates to liver transplant.


METHODS
CXR were scored for signs of cardiomegaly, enlargement of central and or peripheral vessels, hyperkinetic circulatory and/or intravascular volume states, abnormally increased interstitial lung markings, and pleural effusion by three independent observers.


RESULTS
The CXR score of this complete vascular-interstitial deficiency showed a high interobserver reproducibility and was significantly increased in those patients with a more decompensated liver cirrhosis. Moreover, a larger number of CXR signs of vascular and interstitial deficiency was present in those patients who had a more severe cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class 3). Functional indices of pulmonary gas exchange and diffusing capacity were worse in patients with end-stage liver cirrhosis, and for some indices the correlation was statistically significant. The comparison between lung function and CXR score showed that on average lung function impairment was significantly less severe in patients with lower CXR scores.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the information derived from a standardised reading of CXR is valuable in the clinical assessment of the pulmonary damage induced by liver cirrhosis as it allows discrimination of classes of severity of liver disease and of lung function impairment. When integrated with physiologic measurements and, if necessary, with high resolution tomographic studies, chest radiography helps to discriminate patients with advanced liver cirrhosis and progressing towards a hepatopulmonary syndrome, who need a proper therapeutic management.
Prediletto
Renato
R
Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche di Pisa, Italy. pedile@ifc.cnr.it
Catapano
Giosuè
G
Bottai
Matteo
M
Bauleo
Carolina
C
Mannucci
Francesca
F
Filipponi
Franco
F
Sbragia
Paolo
P
Caramella
Davide
D
Bartolozzi
Carlo
C
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D020065:Hepatopulmonary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests