Affiliations: Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory, Liver Unit, Institut
d'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) and Centro de
Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y
Digestivas (Ciberehd), Barcelona, Spain | Ultrasound Section, Centre Diagnostic per la Imatge,
Hospital Clinic i Provincial, Barcelona, Spain
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Annalisa Berzigotti, M.D., Ph.D.,
Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory-Liver Unit and Ultrasound Section-CDIC, Hospital
Clínic, C.Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. E-mail:
aberzigo@clinic.ub.es
Abstract: Cirrhosis is the final stage of most of chronic liver diseases, and
is almost invariably complicated by portal hypertension, which is the most
important cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. This review will
focus on the non-invasive methods currently used in clinical practice for
diagnosing liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The first-line techniques
include physical examination, laboratory parameters, transient elastography and
Doppler-US. More sophisticated imaging methods which are less commonly employed
are CT scan and MRI, and new technologies which are currently under evaluation
are MR elastography and acoustic radiation force imaging (ARFI). Even if none
of them can replace the invasive measurement of hepatic venous pressure
gradient and the endoscopic screening of gastroesophageal varices, they notably
facilitate the clinical management of patients with cirrhosis and portal
hypertension, and provide valuable prognostic information.
