title: Clinical study on pulmonary diffusion function in patients with chronic liver disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the influence of chronic liver disease (CLD) on pulmonary diffusion function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Arterial blood gas analysis, pulmonary function test, contrast-enhanced transthoracic echocardiography and technetium macro-aggregated albumin scanning were performed in 50 cirrhotic patients who underwent surgery on portal hypertension and liver transplantation. The severity of chronic liver disease (CLD) was evaluated by Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT) categorization and model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score from October 2008 to July 2009 in our surgical department and organ transplantation center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A-aDO(2) was increased with the aggravation of liver dysfunction. The pulmonary diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) differed significantly among the three groups, which was (90.8 ± 7.3)% in CPT A group, (82.8 ± 10.8)% in CPT B group, and (73.5 ± 8.3)% in CPT C group. A-aDO(2) correlated positively with CPT (r= 0.581, P= 0.000) as well as the MELD score (r= 0.696, P= 0.000), whereas DLCO was negatively correlated with CPT (r=-0.630, P= 0.000) and the MELD score (r=-0.708, P= 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DLCO can be useful in the detection of pulmonary vascular abnormality of CLD. The MELD score may be a better criterion than the CPT score in assessing intrapulmonary vascular damage of CLD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, China.
authors.forename: Yan Miao
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yong Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen