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Echocardiographic Detection of Intrapulmonary Shunting in a Patient with Hepatopulmonary Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Author(s) -
Pacca Richard,
Maddukuri Prasad,
Pandian Natesa G.,
Kuvin Jeffrey T.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2006.00131.x
Subject(s) - hepatopulmonary syndrome , medicine , hypoxemia , shunting , intracardiac injection , cardiology , etiology , cirrhosis , stenosis , radiology , intensive care medicine , portal hypertension
Transthoracic echocardiography is a useful tool in the evaluation of patients with intrapulmonary and intracardiac shunts. We describe a case of a 49‐year‐old female with severe hypoxemia in the setting of aortic stenosis and cirrhosis of the liver. The use of agitated saline contrast during an echocardiography study helped to establish the diagnosis of intrapulmonary arteriovenous shunting consistent with the hepatopulmonary syndrome, thereby confirming the etiology of her symptoms and laboratory findings. This case report highlights the utility of echocardiography in diagnosing intrapulmonary shunts and assists in the understanding of the pathophysiology of hypoxemia in such patients.