Portopulmonary hypertension | |
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Other names | Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with portal hypertension |
Specialty | Pulmonology, Hepatology |
Portopulmonary hypertension (PPH) [1] is defined by the coexistence of portal and pulmonary hypertension. PPH is a serious complication of liver disease, present in 0.25 to 4% of all patients with cirrhosis. Once an absolute contraindication to liver transplantation, it is no longer, thanks to rapid advances in the treatment of this condition. [2] Today, PPH is comorbid in 4-6% of those referred for a liver transplant. [3] [4]
PPH presents roughly equally in male and female cirrhotics; 71% female in an American series and 57% male in a larger French series. [5] [6] Typically, patients present in their fifth decade, aged 49 +/- 11 years on average. [5] [7]
In general, PPH is diagnosed 4–7 years after the patient is diagnosed with portal hypertension [8] and in roughly 65% of cases, the diagnosis is actually made at the time of invasive hemodynamic monitoring following anesthesia induction prior to liver transplantation. [8]
Once patients are symptomatic, they present with right heart dysfunction secondary to pulmonary hypertension and its consequent dyspnea, fatigue, chest pain and syncope. [9] Patients tend to have a poor cardiac status, with 60% having stage III-IV NYHA heart failure. [5]
PPH is actually independent of the severity of cirrhosis but may be more common in specific types of cirrhosis, in one series more so in autoimmune hepatitis and less in hepatitis C cirrhosis, [6] while in another it was equally distributed throughout the diagnoses. [4]
PPH pathology arises both from the humoral consequences of cirrhosis and the mechanical obstruction of the portal vein. [10] A central paradigm holds responsible an excess local pulmonary production of vasoconstrictors that occurs while vasodilatation predominates systemically. [11] Key here are imbalances between vasodilatory and vasoconstricting molecules; endogenous prostacyclin and thromboxane (from Kupffer cells) [12] [13] or nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1). [7] ET-1 is the most potent vasoconstrictor under investigation [14] and it has been found to be increased in both cirrhosis [15] and pulmonary hypertension. [16] Endothelin-1 has two receptors in the pulmonary arterial tree, ET-A which mediates vasoconstriction and ET-B which mediates vasodilation. Rat models have shown decreased ET-B receptor expression in pulmonary arteries of cirrhotic and portal hypertensive animals, leading to a predominant vasoconstricting response to endothelin-1. [17]
In portal hypertension, blood will shunt from portal to systemic circulation, bypassing the liver. This leaves unmetabolized potentially toxic or vasoconstricting substances to reach and attack the pulmonary circulation. Serotonin, normally metabolized by the liver, is returned to the lung instead where it mediates smooth muscle hyperplasia and hypertrophy. [18] Moreover, a key pathogenic factor in the decline in status of PPH patients related to this shunting is the cirrhotic cardiomyopathy with myocardial thickening and diastolic dysfunction.[ citation needed ]
Finally, the pulmonary pathology of PPH is very similar to that of primary pulmonary hypertension. [19] The muscular pulmonary arteries become fibrotic and hypertrophy while the smaller arteries lose smooth muscle cells and their elastic intima. One study found at autopsy significant thickening of pulmonary arteries in cirrhotic patients. [20] This thickening and remodeling forms a positive feedback loop that serves to increase PAP and induce right heart hypertrophy and dysfunction.[ citation needed ]
The diagnosis of portopulmonary hypertension is based on hemodynamic criteria:[ citation needed ]
The diagnosis is usually first suggested by a transthoracic echocardiogram, part of the standard pre-transplantation work-up. Echocardiogram estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressures of 40 to 50 mm Hg are used as a screening cutoff for PPH diagnosis, [3] with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity as high as 96%. [22] The negative predictive value of this method is 100% but the positive predictive value is 60%. [23] Thereafter, these patients are referred for pulmonary artery catheterization.[ citation needed ]
The limitations of echocardiography are related to the derivative nature of non-invasive PAP estimation. The measurement of PAP by echocardiogram is made using a simplified Bernoulli equation. High cardiac index and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures, however, may lead to false positives by this standard. By one institution's evaluation, the correlation between estimated systolic PAP and directly measured PAP was poor, 0.49. [24] For these reasons, right heart catheterization is needed to confirm the diagnosis.[ citation needed ]
In general, the treatment of PPH is derived from the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. The best treatment available is the combination of medical therapy and liver transplantation. [25] [ citation needed ]
The ideal treatment for PPH management is that which can achieve pulmonary vasodilatation and smooth muscle relaxation without exacerbating systemic hypotension. Most of the therapies for PPH have been adapted from the primary pulmonary hypertension literature. Calcium channel blockers, beta blockers and nitrates have all been used – but the most potent and widely used aids are prostaglandin (and prostacyclin) analogs, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, nitric oxide and, most recently, endothelin receptor antagonists and agents capable of reversing the remodeling of pulmonary vasculature.[ citation needed ]
Inhaled nitric oxide vasodilates, decreasing pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) without affecting systemic artery pressure because it is rapidly inactivated by hemoglobin, [26] and improves oxygenation by redistributing pulmonary blood flow to ventilated areas of lung. [27] Inhaled nitric oxide has been used successfully to bridge patients through liver transplantation and the immediate perioperative period, but there are two significant drawbacks: it requires intubation and cannot be used for long periods of time due to methemoglobinemia. [28]
Prostaglandin PGE1 (Alprostadil) binds G-protein linked cell surface receptors that activate adenylate cyclase to relax vascular smooth muscle. [29] Prostacyclin – PGI2, an arachidonic acid derived lipid mediator (Epoprostenol, Flolan, Treprostenil) – is a vasodilator and, at the same time, the most potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation. [30] More importantly, PGI2 (and not nitrous oxide) is also associated with an improvement in splanchnic perfusion and oxygenation. [31] Epoprostenol and ilioprost (a more stable, longer acting variation [32] ) can and does successfully bridge for patients to transplant. [33] Epoprostenol therapy can lower PAP by 29-46% and PVR by 21-71%., [34] Ilioprost shows no evidence of generating tolerance, increases cardiac output and improves gas exchange while lowering PAP and PVR. [35] A subset of patients does not respond to any therapy, likely having fixed vascular anatomic changes.[ citation needed ]
Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDE-i) have been employed with excellent results. It has been shown to reduce mean PAP by as much as 50%, [36] though it prolongs bleeding time by inhibiting collagen-induced platelet aggregation. [37] Another drug, milrinone, a type 3 PDE-i increases vascular smooth muscle adenosine-3,5-cyclic monophosphate concentrations to cause selective pulmonary vasodilation. [38] Also, by causing the buildup of cAMP in the myocardium, milrinone increases contractile force, heart rate and the extent of relaxation.
The newest generation in PPH pharmacy shows great promise. Bosentan is a nonspecific endothelin-receptor antagonist capable of neutralizing the most identifiable cirrhosis associated vasoconstrictor, [39] safely and efficaciously improving oxygenation and PVR, [40] [41] especially in conjunction with sildenafil. [42] Finally, where the high pressures and pulmonary tree irritations of PPH cause a medial thickening of the vessels (smooth muscle migration and hyperplasia), one can remove the cause –control the pressure, transplant the liver – yet those morphological changes persist, sometimes necessitating lung transplantation. Imatinib, designed to treat chronic myeloid leukemia, has been shown to reverse the pulmonary remodeling associated with PPH. [4] [43] [44]
Following diagnosis, mean survival of patients with PPH is 15 months. [45] The survival of those with cirrhosis is sharply curtailed by PPH but can be significantly extended by both medical therapy and liver transplantation, provided the patient remains eligible.[ citation needed ]
Eligibility for transplantation is generally related to mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). Given the fear that those PPH patients with high PAP will have right heart failure following the stress of post-transplant reperfusion or in the immediate perioperative period, patients are typically risk-stratified based on mean PAP. Indeed, the operation-related mortality rate is greater than 50% when pre-operative mean PAP values lie between 35 and 50 mm Hg; if mean PAP exceeds 40–45, transplantation is associated with a perioperative mortality of 70-80% (in those cases without preoperative medical therapy) [46] [22] Patients, then, are considered to have a high risk of perioperative death once their mean PAP exceeds 35 mmHg. [47]
Survival is best inferred from published institutional experiences. At one institution, without treatment, 1-year survival was 46% and 5-year survival was 14%. With medical therapy, 1-year survival was 88% and 5-year survival was 55%. Survival at 5 years with medical therapy followed by liver transplantation was 67%. [21] At another institution, of the 67 patients with PPH from 1652 total cirrhotics evaluated for transplant, half (34) were placed on the waiting list. Of these, 16 (48%) were transplanted at a time when 25% of all patients who underwent full evaluation received new livers, meaning the diagnosis of PPH made a patient twice as likely to be transplanted, once on the waiting list. Of those listed for transplant with PPH, 11 (33%) were eventually removed because of PPH, and 5 (15%) died on the waitlist. Of the 16 transplanted patients with PPH, 11 (69%) survived for more than a year after transplant, at a time when overall one-year survival in that center was 86.4%. The three-year post-transplant survival for patients with PPH was 62.5% when it was 81.02% overall at this institution. [4]
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults and is currently the most common cause of death in people with cirrhosis. HCC is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
Pulmonary hypertension is a condition of increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fainting, tiredness, chest pain, swelling of the legs, and a fast heartbeat. The condition may make it difficult to exercise. Onset is typically gradual. According to the definition at the 6th World Symposium of Pulmonary Hypertension in 2018, a patient is deemed to have pulmonary hypertension if the pulmonary mean arterial pressure is greater than 20mmHg at rest, revised down from a purely arbitrary 25mmHg, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) greater than 3 Wood units.
Portal hypertension is defined as increased portal venous pressure, with a hepatic venous pressure gradient greater than 5 mmHg. Normal portal pressure is 1–4 mmHg; clinically insignificant portal hypertension is present at portal pressures 5–9 mmHg; clinically significant portal hypertension is present at portal pressures greater than 10 mmHg. The portal vein and its branches supply most of the blood and nutrients from the intestine to the liver.
Prostacyclin (also called prostaglandin I2 or PGI2) is a prostaglandin member of the eicosanoid family of lipid molecules. It inhibits platelet activation and is also an effective vasodilator.
In vascular diseases, endothelial dysfunction is a systemic pathological state of the endothelium. The main cause of endothelial dysfunction is impaired bioavailability of nitric oxide.
In haemodynamics, the body must respond to physical activities, external temperature, and other factors by homeostatically adjusting its blood flow to deliver nutrients such as oxygen and glucose to stressed tissues and allow them to function. Haemodynamic response (HR) allows the rapid delivery of blood to active neuronal tissues. The brain consumes large amounts of energy but does not have a reservoir of stored energy substrates. Since higher processes in the brain occur almost constantly, cerebral blood flow is essential for the maintenance of neurons, astrocytes, and other cells of the brain. This coupling between neuronal activity and blood flow is also referred to as neurovascular coupling.
Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a life-threatening medical condition that consists of rapid deterioration in kidney function in individuals with cirrhosis or fulminant liver failure. HRS is usually fatal unless a liver transplant is performed, although various treatments, such as dialysis, can prevent advancement of the condition.
Sitaxentan sodium (TBC-11251) is a medication for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It was marketed as Thelin by Encysive Pharmaceuticals until Pfizer purchased Encysive in February 2008. In 2010, Pfizer voluntarily removed sitaxentan from the market due to concerns about liver toxicity.
Endothelins are peptides with receptors and effects in many body organs. Endothelin constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. The endothelins are normally kept in balance by other mechanisms, but when overexpressed, they contribute to high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, and potentially other diseases.
Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is an uncommon cause of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding or iron deficiency anemia. The condition is associated with dilated small blood vessels in the gastric antrum, which is a distal part of the stomach. The dilated vessels result in intestinal bleeding. It is also called watermelon stomach because streaky long red areas that are present in the stomach may resemble the markings on watermelon.
Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) is a condition defined by an abnormal enlargement of the cardiac muscle surrounding the right ventricle. The right ventricle is one of the four chambers of the heart. It is located towards the right lower chamber of the heart and it receives deoxygenated blood from the right upper chamber and pumps blood into the lungs.
Treprostinil, sold under the brand names Remodulin for infusion, Orenitram for oral, and Tyvaso for inhalation, is a vasodilator that is used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
In medicine, hepatopulmonary syndrome is a syndrome of shortness of breath and hypoxemia caused by vasodilation in the lungs of patients with liver disease. Dyspnea and hypoxemia are worse in the upright position.
The prostacyclin receptor, also termed the prostaglandin I2 receptor or just IP, is a receptor belonging to the prostaglandin (PG) group of receptors. IP binds to and mediates the biological actions of prostacyclin (also termed prostaglandin I2, PGI2, or when used as a drug, epoprostenol). IP is encoded in humans by the PTGIR gene. While possessing many functions as defined in animal model studies, the major clinical relevancy of IP is as a powerful vasodilator: stimulators of IP are used to treat severe and even life-threatening diseases involving pathological vasoconstriction.
Persistent fetal circulation is a condition caused by a failure in the systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation to convert from the antenatal circulation pattern to the "normal" pattern. Infants experience a high mean arterial pulmonary artery pressure and a high afterload at the right ventricle. This means that the heart is working against higher pressures, which makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood.
Biological functions of nitric oxide are roles that nitric oxide plays within biology.
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced with scar tissue (fibrosis) and regenerative nodules as a result of chronic liver disease. Damage to the liver leads to repair of liver tissue and subsequent formation of scar tissue. Over time, scar tissue and nodules of regenerating hepatocytes can replace the parenchyma, causing increased resistance to blood flow in the liver's capillaries—the hepatic sinusoids—and consequently portal hypertension, as well as impairment in other aspects of liver function. The disease typically develops slowly over months or years.
Alveolar capillary dysplasia (ACD) is a rare, congenital diffuse lung disease characterized by abnormal blood vessels in the lungs that cause highly elevated pulmonary blood pressure and an inability to effectively oxygenate and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. ACD typically presents in newborn babies within hours of birth as rapid and labored breathing, blue-colored lips or skin, quickly leading to respiratory failure and death. Atypical forms of ACD have been reported with initially milder symptoms and survival of many months before the onset of respiratory failure or lung transplantation.
Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare form of pulmonary hypertension caused by progressive blockage of the small veins in the lungs. The blockage leads to high blood pressures in the arteries of the lungs, which, in turn, leads to heart failure. The disease is progressive and fatal, with median survival of about 2 years from the time of diagnosis to death. The definitive therapy is lung transplantation.
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a syndrome in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries and pulmonary arterioles is elevated. This pre-capillary pulmonary artery pressure being elevated is essential, and by definition a mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than 20 mmHg as measured by a right heart catheterization is required for the diagnosis. This pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension is confirmed with measuring pulmonary vascular resistance being greater than 3 Woods Units. A pulmonary artery wedge pressure being less than 15 mmHg excludes post-capillary bed pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a subgroup of pulmonary hypertension and is categorized as World Health Organization as group 1. PAH is further subdivided into various categories based on the cause, including idiopathic, heritable, drug and toxin induced, PAH associated with specific diseases, PAH that is responsive to vasodilators, PAH with venous or capillary involvement, and persistent PAH in the newborn period.