Portal Hypertension Flashcards
What is the definition of portal hypertension?
- portal vein pressure > 12mmHg
- portal vein to hepatic vein pressure gradient greater than 5
What does the portal vein drain?
- lower esophagus
- stomach
- small & large intestines
- spleen
- pancreas
- gallbladder
Which veins form the portal vein?
Superior mesenteric vein & splenic vein
Which veins cause the varices in portal hypertension?
- umbilical & paraumbilical veins enlarge -> form umbilical varices
- coronary vein receives distal esophageal veins -> form esophago-gastric varices
What is the pathophysiology of portal hypertension?
- increase in vascular resistance: in cirrhosis -> mechanical consequence of hepatic architectural disorder
- > deposition of collagen in spaces of Disse
- > contraction of myofibroblasts
- increase in portal blood flow
Splanchnic arteriolar vasodilatation -> portosystemic collaterals
What are the prehepatic causes of increased vascular resistance?
- portal vein thrombosis
- splenic vein thrombosis
- congenital atresia or stenosis of portal vein
- extrinsic compression
- umbilical vein sepsis in children
What are the hepatic causes of increased resistance to flow?
- hepatic cirrhosis
- congenital hepatic fibrosis
- bilharzial peri-portal fibrosis
- lymphoma
- acute & fulminant hepatitis
- veno-occlusive disease
What are the post hepatic causes of increased resistance to flow?
- IVC obstruction
- right side heart failure
- constrictive pericarditis
- tricuspid regurgitation
- budd-chiari syndrome
What are the causes of increased blood volume of portal blood flow?
- Porto-hepatic fistula
- increased splenic flow (splenomegaly)
What are the consequences of portal HTN?
- enlargement of liver then shrinks with failure
- spleen enlarged with RES hyperplasia
- portosystemic shunt
- ascitis
- congestive gastropathy
How to determine the presence of complications?
- upper GI bleeding
- mental status change: lethargy, increased irritability, altered sleep patterns (portosystemic encephalopathy)
- increased abdominal girth (ascites formation)
- hematochezia & melena (bleeding from portal colopathy)
What are the signs of porto-systemic collateral formation?
- dilated veins in the anterior abdominal wall (umbilical epigastric shunts)
- caput medusa
- rectal varices
What will be seen on physical examination of person with portal hypertension?
- signs of porto systemic collaterals
- ascites (dullness in flanks with +ve shifting dullness & fluid thrill)
- splenomegaly
- paraumbilical hernia
- inguinal hernia or hydrocele
What are the signs of liver cell dysfunction?
- ascites
- jaundice
- spider angiomas
- palmar erythema
- testicular atrophy
- gynecomastia
- muscle wasting
What is the cause for morbidity & mortality in portal hypertension?
- variceal hemorrhage: most common
first episode has mortality of 30-50%
second episode has mortality of 80%
90% of patients with cirrhosis develop varices