Citation Information :
Shah A, Jacob I, Rao K, Vasudevan K, Roy S, Sethumadhavan MV. The Bubble Test for Diagnosis of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome. 2024; 3 (2):101-104.
Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a condition characterized by hypoxemia with partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) <80 mm Hg or alveolar–arterial oxygen gradient (A-aO2) ≥15 mm while breathing room air, pulmonary vascular dilation, and portal hypertension (with or without cirrhosis). The incidence ranges from 5 to 32% in cirrhosis patients. The hypoxia associated with HPS is usually refractory to increasing concentrations of oxygen indicating an underlying right-to-left shunt. An echocardiogram bubble study is used to differentiate between intrapulmonary or intracardiac right-to-left shunt.
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