[Clinical approach to portal hypertension]

Portal Hypertension is one of the most common and severe complication arising from hepatic cirrhosis natural history. Its development conditions the patient prognosis, and its diagnosis and correct evaluation contribute to the correct management of the patient. New techniques for the measurement of portal pressure gradient allow the study and follow-up of patients with esophageal and gastric varices and with risk of hemorrhage, analyzing the efficacy of the treatment applied in a reliable and secure way. It has been probed its utility in the study of the patient with hepatocellular carcinoma, complications after liver transplantation, portal hypertension with no hepatopathy, etc. This review analyzes, from a clinical point of view, the repercussion of the development of portal hypertension in the patient with hepatic cirrhosis, its diagnosis and interpretation, and the importance that its adequate valuation has for the clinical practice.