Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Liver Cirrhosis: An Echocardiographic Study:

Conflicting results about the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, ranging from 0.25% to 20%, in liver patients with portal hypertension, have previously been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate pulmonary arterial pressure in a consecutive series of cirrhotic patients, using a noninvasive method. A complete clinical, laboratory, ultra sonographic, and endoscopic evaluation were performed in 83 consecutive liver patients assessed according to Child's classification and Pugh's score and according to evidence of ultrasonographic and/or endoscopic signs of portal hypertension. A complete echocar diographic evaluation was also performed and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) was estimated by measuring tricuspidal regurgitation, using the modified Bernoulli equation. These same evaluations were performed by the same observers in a group of 60 healthy volunteers. The results showed a surprisingly high prevalence (about 20%) of pulmonary hypertension. Patients with more severe liver damage a...