title: Hepatopulmonary syndrome.
abstract: The hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a pulmonary complication of cirrhosis and/or portal hypertension whereby patients develop hypoxemia as a result of alterations in pulmonary microvascular tone and architecture. HPS occurs in up to 30% of patients with cirrhosis. Although the degree of hypoxemia does not reliably correlate with the severity of liver disease, patients with HPS have a higher mortality than do patients with cirrhosis without the disorder. There has been progress into defining the mechanisms that lead to hypoxemia in HPS, but to date there are no therapeutic options for HPS aside from liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, 25 Courtenay Drive ART 7100A, MSC 290, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. Electronic address: kochd@musc.edu.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, MSB 4234, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Fallon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020065:Hepatopulmonary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019168:Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D051381:Rats; D014664:Vasodilation
keywords: Contrast echocardiography; Hepatopulmonary syndrome; Hypoxemia; Intrapulmonary vasodilatation; Liver transplantation; Portal hypertension