title: Occurrence of hepatopulmonary syndrome in patients with cirrhosis who are candidates for liver transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the occurrence of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) in patients with cirrhosis who are candidates for liver transplantation; to compare demographic, clinical, laboratory, and spirometric characteristics, as well as echocardiography results, arterial blood gas analysis, and severity of liver disease between the groups of patients with and without HPS; and to describe the occurrence of HPS in the subgroup of patients with cirrhosis and schistosomiasis mansoni (mixed liver disease).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January and November of 2007, we evaluated 44 patients under treatment at the Liver Transplant Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of Pernambuco Hospital das Clínicas, in the city of Recife, Brazil. The diagnostic criteria for HPS were intrapulmonary vascular dilatation, identified by transthoracic echocardiography, and an alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference >or= 15 mmHg or a PaO2 < 80 mmHg.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients was 52 years, and 31 patients (70%) were male. The most common cause of cirrhosis was alcohol use. Schistosomiasis was present in 28 patients (64%). Of the 44 patients, 20 (45.5%) were diagnosed with HPS. No significant differences were found between those patients and the patients without HPS in terms of any of the characteristics studied. Of the 28 patients with cirrhosis and schistosomiasis, 10 (35.7%) were diagnosed with HPS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the population studied, HPS was highly prevalent and did not correlate with any of the variables analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. liana.macedo@ig.com.br
authors.forename: Liana Gonçalves
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Macêdo
authors.forename: Edmundo Pessoa de Almeida
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima Pessoa Militão de
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.forename: Brivaldo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Markman-Filho
authors.forename: Flávio Henrique Amaral Pires
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Véras
authors.forename: Ana Carolina Chiappetta Correia de
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Alvaro Antônio Bandeira
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ferraz
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020065:Hepatopulmonary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*