TY - JOUR
T1 - Hepatopulmonary syndrome: A review of the literature
AU - Ghittoni, G.
AU - Valentini, G.
AU - Spada, Cristiano
AU - Rossi, Z.
AU - Gasbarrini, Giovanni Battista
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - The majority of cirrhotic patients present dyspnea, but most of the time this is a consequence of ascites, hepatic hydrothorax or cardiopulmonary disease. Very few of these patients undergo the hepatopulmonary syndrome, an infrequent complication of chronic liver disease, especially when associated with portal hypertension and cirrhosis. Hepatopulmonary syndrome is characterised by dyspnea and, consequently, arterial hypoxemia, due to intrapulmonary vasodilation and shunting. The real pathogenesis of this vasodilation is still unknown, although many hypotheses have been suggested. Furthermore, no medical therapy appears to be really useful in the treatment of hepatopulmonary syndrome. At the present time, the only treatment that is efficacious for the resolution, or for the improvement of blood gas oxygenation abnormalities, is orthotopic liver transplantation.
AB - The majority of cirrhotic patients present dyspnea, but most of the time this is a consequence of ascites, hepatic hydrothorax or cardiopulmonary disease. Very few of these patients undergo the hepatopulmonary syndrome, an infrequent complication of chronic liver disease, especially when associated with portal hypertension and cirrhosis. Hepatopulmonary syndrome is characterised by dyspnea and, consequently, arterial hypoxemia, due to intrapulmonary vasodilation and shunting. The real pathogenesis of this vasodilation is still unknown, although many hypotheses have been suggested. Furthermore, no medical therapy appears to be really useful in the treatment of hepatopulmonary syndrome. At the present time, the only treatment that is efficacious for the resolution, or for the improvement of blood gas oxygenation abnormalities, is orthotopic liver transplantation.
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Hepatopulmonary syndrome
KW - Liver diseases
KW - Liver cirrhosis
KW - Hepatopulmonary syndrome, therapy
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Hepatopulmonary syndrome
KW - Liver diseases
KW - Liver cirrhosis
KW - Hepatopulmonary syndrome, therapy
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/250857
M3 - Article
SN - 0031-0808
VL - 45
SP - 95
EP - 98
JO - Panminerva Medica
JF - Panminerva Medica
ER -