EUS in portal hypertension

Abstract

SUMMARY
The mechanisms involved in the development and natural
history of Portal Hypertension are far away to be clearly
known. Endoscpic Ultrasonography is a branch of gastrointestinal
endoscopy, that has achieved a world wide acceptance
in the evaluation of many clinical settings during last
years. Some of these indications are now clearly stated, while
others are under evaluation. The possibility to apply EUS
in portal hypertension has been studied by several Authors
during last years, both in the diagnosis and in the management
of this complication of liver cirrhosis. In fact EUS
studies have been performed on the hemodynamic assessment
of portal vein system, azygos vein, varices and portosystemic
collaterals. In the management of portal hypertension
EUS has been studied both for the assessment of
the efficacy of drug therapy and for endocopic treatment.
Data obtained are preliminary but very interesting and
promising, and have given a great impulse to this field of
clinical research.
Key Words: Endoscopie ultrasonography, portal hypertension,
bleeding, doppler