Clinics in liver disease
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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.
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Hepatic hydrothorax (HH) is an uncommon complication in patients with end-stage liver disease. Only 5% to 10% of patients with end-stage liver disease develop HH, which may result in dyspnea, hypoxia, and infection, and portends a poor prognosis. ⋯ Initial management consists of diuretics with dietary sodium restriction and thoracentesis, and a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt may ultimately be required. Afflicted patients can develop morbid and fatal complications, pose management dilemmas, and should warrant evaluation for liver transplantation.