Roberto Rodríguez-Roisin, M.D., and Michael J. Krowka, M.D.

 

 

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. . . .

 

 

 

N Engl J Med 358:2378, May 29, 2008 Review Article