ANAMNESIS We report about a 60-year-old woman with hepatopulmonary syndrome. The patient suffered from progressive dyspnea and liver cirrhosis following viral hepatitis C, acquired through blood transfusion 30 years ago. EXAMINATION RESULTS Remarkable were clinical signs of chronic liver disease (cutaneous spider naevi, palmar erythema) and signs of chronic respiratory failure (clubbing) with...

Hepatopulmonary syndrome consists of a triad of chronic liver disease, pulmonary gas exchange abnormalities and pulmonary vascular dilatation in the absence of detectable cardiopulmonary disease. Patients usually present with symptoms of liver disease and the clinical recognition of this condition is a challenge. Newer non-invasive tests facilitate the diagnosis. Therapeutic strategies for this...

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 m...

Inhibition of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), levels of which are increased in the blood of cirrhotic rats, prevents hyperdynamic circulatory state, mainly by decreasing the vascular overproduction of nitric oxide. Hepatopulmonary syndrome, which is characterised by intrapulmonary vascular dilatation and increased alveolar to arterial oxygen tension difference (PA-a,O2), is mainly rel...

PURPOSE Hepatopulmonary syndrome is an arterial oxygenation disorder brought about by advanced liver failure and pulmonary vascular dilatations. The reason why hypoxia develops in hepatopulmonary syndrome depends on the broadening of perialveolar capillary veins. Our study aims to investigate the effects of Flavanoid on hepatopulmonary syndrome through its inhibition of nitric oxide. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) refers to the association of hypoxemia, intrapulmonary shunting and chronic liver disease. But there is no clear data about the prevalence of HPS in postnecrotic liver cirrhosis by hepatitis B virus (HBV), the most common cause of liver disease in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HPS in poorly compensated postnecrotic li...

A 57-year-old woman with hepatopulmonary syndrome was treated for eight years. Severe hypoxemia continued and her erythrocytosis was slowly progressive. Two episodes of intra cranial hemorrhagic attack had occurred during the follow-up period and the patient died due to multiple organ failure after the second intracranial hemorrhage. Her autopsy findings confirmed not only established liver cir...

INTRODUCTION Hepatopulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is de ned as a triad of chronic liver diseases and/or portal hypertension, gas exchange defects (increased alveolar-arterial PO2 difference regardless of the presence of arterial hypoxemia), and intrapulmonary vascular dilatation(1). Patients of all ages can be affected; however there is a frequency of 4% to 32% among patients with chronic liver disea...

Received August 30, 2007 Abstract Vitamin supplementation is a frequent phenomenon in Hong Kong children for various reasons. Vitamin A is amongst the most frequently used vitamin presented in various 'fish oil' supplements, and its toxicity is being widely reported in literature. Hepatopulmonary syndrome is a triad of chronic liver disease; increased alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient; and evid...