title: Echocardiography in chronic liver disease: systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Doppler echocardiography (Echo) is a non-invasive method of excellent accuracy to screen portopulmonary hypertension (PPH) and to assess intrapulmonary shunts (IPS) in chronic liver disease (CLD). In the past decade, Echo proved to play a fundamental role in the diagnosis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To perform a systematic review of relevant articles on the subject 'Echo in CLD'.
  
  
  METHODS
  In November 2011, a systematic review was performed in the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases, and the characteristics of the studies selected were reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The search based on descriptors and free terms obtained 204 articles (179 in Pubmed, 21 in LILACS, and 1 in SciELO). Of those 204 articles, 22 were selected for systematic review. A meta-analysis could not be performed because of the heterogeneity of the articles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Echo should be part of CLD stratification for screening PPH, IPS and CCM, because, most of the time, such complications are diagnosed only when patients are already waiting for a liver transplant.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vitor Gomes
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.forename: Brivaldo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Markman Filho
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male