title: Portopulmonary hypertension: from diagnosis to treatment.
abstract: Portopulmonary hypertension is a form of pulmonary arterial hypertension that has gained interest in recent years with the development of liver transplantation techniques and new pulmonary vasodilator therapies. Portopulmonary hypertension is defined as pulmonary artery hypertension associated with portal hypertension with or without advanced hepatic disease. Echocardiography plays a major role in screening for portopulmonary hypertension but right heart catheterization remains the gold standard for diagnosis. The treatment of patients with portopulmonary hypertension consists of general measures that apply to all patients that carry the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and specific vasodilator therapies. These new therapies showed encouraging results in patients who would otherwise have a contraindication for liver transplantation. The review presents a summary of the current knowledge on the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients with portopulmonary hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Institute for Emergencies in Cardiovascular Diseases Prof Dr C. C. Iliescu, Bucharest, Romania. soringiusca@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sorin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giusca
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jinga
authors.forename: Ciprian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jurcut
authors.forename: Ruxandra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jurcut
authors.forename: Marinela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serban
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ginghina
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003935:Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D017082:Portal Pressure; D011379:Prognosis; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure