Two cases of hepatopulmonary syndrome with improved liver function following long-term oxygen therapy.
Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a complication of liver disease that is characterized by hypoxemia and intrapulmonary vascular dilatations. The only established therapy for this disorder is liver transplantation. Here, we report two patients (a 63-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man) with HPS associated with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis. We gave the patients low-dose oxygen supplementation to improve their respiratory symptoms. Surprisingly, their liver function improved from Child Pugh class C to class A, and ascites disappeared after a year of oxygen supplementation. We believe that long-term oxygen therapy contributed to the improvement of liver function in these two cases. Long-term oxygen therapy might offer a new therapeutic approach to improve liver function in patients with cirrhosis with hypoxemia.
Fukushima
Kazuko Y
KY
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, National Hospital Organization Nagasaki Medical Center, Nagasaki, Japan.
Yatsuhashi
Hiroshi
H
Kinoshita
Akitoshi
A
Ueki
Toshihito
T
Matsumoto
Takehiro
T
Osumi
Mitsuhiko
M
Matsuoka
Yohjiro
Y
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D020065:Hepatopulmonary Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D013997:Time Factors