Affiliations: Department of Gastoenterology and Hepatology, Hospital
Ramón y Cajal, University of Alcalá, and Centro de Investigación
Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (Ciberehd),
Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain | Section of Digestives Diseases, Yale University School
of Medicine, New Haven, CT, and VA-Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Agustín Albillos, Servicio de
Gastroenterología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Carretera de
Colmenar Viejo km. 9.100, 28034 Madrid, Spain. Tel.: +34 913368085; E-mail:
aalbillosm@meditex.es
Abstract: The modern paradigm considers cirrhosis as a dynamic and potentially
reversible disease. It consists of two different entities, compensated and
decompensated cirrhosis, each with a distinct prognosis and different
predictors of survival. The development of portal hypertension is a hallmark in
the history of cirrhosis, and its progression parallels that of the disease. In
consequence, portal pressure measurement by means of HVPG allows stratifying
cirrhosis in stages with defined outcomes, prognosis, and management strategies.
