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. 1980 Nov;21(11):962–964. doi: 10.1136/gut.21.11.962

Portal hypertension in fulminant viral hepatitis.

D Lebrec, O Nouel, J Bernuau, B Rueff, J P Benhamou
PMCID: PMC1419278  PMID: 7450562

Abstract

The gradient between wedged and free hepatic venous pressures were measured in 10 unselected adult patients suffering from fulminant viral hepatitis. The gradient was increased in all the studied patients, ranging from 0.9 to 2.1 kPa; this finding indicates that portal hypertension was present in all these cases. Ascites was present in all the five patients having a gradient about 1.5 kPa and affected only two of the five patients having a gradient below 1.5 kPa; this observation suggests that portal hypertension plays a role in the mechanism of ascites in fulminant viral hepatitis. Portal hypertension in fulminant viral hepatitis is likely to be the consequence of an intrahepatic block due to massive necrosis of the liver cells.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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