Left Ventricular Dilation and Pulmonary Vasodilatation after Surgical Shunt for Treatment of Pre-Sinusoidal Portal Hypertension.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the long-term cardiovascular and pulmonary hemodynamic effects of surgical shunt for treatment of portal hypertension (PH) due to Schistosomiasis mansoni. LOCATION:The University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil; Public Practice. METHODS:Hemodynamic evaluation was performed with transesophageal Doppler and contrast-enhanced echocardiography (ECHO) on twenty-eight participants with schistosomal portal hypertension. Participants were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure used to treat their schistosomal portal hypertension within the last two years: group 1-distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS, n = 13) and group 2-esophagogastric devascularization and splenectomy (EGDS, n = 15). RESULTS:The cardiac output (5.08 ± 0.91 L/min) and systolic volume (60.1 ± 5.6 ml) were increased (p = 0.001) in the DSRS group. DSRS participants had a significant increase (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The late increase in the cardiac output, stroke volume and left ventricular diameters demonstrated left ventricular dilatation after a distal splenorenal shunt. ECHO revealed a greater prevalence for IPV in patients with schistosomiasis than has previously been described in patients with PH from liver cirrhosis.