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Previous Volume 358:2378-2387 May 29, 2008 Number 22 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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The hepatopulmonary syndrome is characterized by a defect in arterial oxygenation induced by pulmonary vascular dilatation in the setting of liver disease¹; patients of all ages can be affected. This clinical syndrome has three components: liver disease, pulmonary vascular dilatation, and a defect in oxygenation. A classification of the severity of the hepatopulmonary syndrome based on abnormalities in oxygenation is vital because severity influences survival and is useful in determining the timing and risks of liver transplantation (Table 1). The vascular component includes diffuse or localized dilated pulmonary capillaries and, less commonly, pleural and pulmonary arteriovenous communications. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Clinical Manifestations

Prevalence and Natural History

Pathobiology

Treatment

Source Information

From Servei de Pneumologia (Institut del Tòrax), Hospital Clínic, Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Ciber Enfermedades Respiratorias, and the University of Barcelona — all in Barcelona; and the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Rodríguez-Roisin at Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel, 170, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain, or at rororo@clinic.ub.es.

Related Letters:

The Hepatopulmonary Syndrome
Ghent C. N., Levstik M. A., Marotta P. J., Szmigielski C., Krenke R., Styczynski G., Viles-Gonzalez J. F., Rodríguez-Roisin R., Krowka M. J.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2008; 359:866-867, Aug 21, 2008. Correspondence

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Ghent, C. N., Levstik, M. A., Marotta, P. J., Szmigielski, C., Krenke, R., Styczynski, G., Viles-Gonzalez, J. F., Rodriguez-Roisin, R., Krowka, M. J. (2008). The hepatopulmonary syndrome.. NEJM 359: 866-867 [Full Text]