Liver stiffness is associated with right heart dysfunction, cardiohepatic syndrome, and prognosis in pulmonary hypertension

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can lead to congestive hepatopathy, known as cardiohepatic syndrome (CHS). Hepatic congestion is associated with increased liver stiffness, which can be quantified using shear wave elastography. We aimed to investigate whether hepatic shear wave elastography detects patients at risk in the early stages of PH. METHODS: Sixty-three prospectively enrolled patients undergoing right heart catheterization (52 diagnosed with PH and 11 with invasive exclusion of PH) and 52 healthy volunteers underwent assessments including echocardiography and hepatic shear wave elastography. CHS was defined as increased levels of

• Rako, Z. A.
• Yogeswaran, A.
• Yildiz, S.
• Weidemann, P.
• Zedler, D.
• da Rocha, B. B.
• Kryvenko, V.
• Schäfer, S.
• Ghofrani, H. A.
• Seeger, W.
• Kremer, N. C.
• Tello, K.