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Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
[A man with slowly progressive dyspnea on exertion]
S T Laurens1, S O Simons, A I J Arens
1Radboudumc, Nijmegen.
Hepatopulmonary syndrome, a complication of liver cirrhosis, causes shortness of breath due to abnormal lung blood vessels. Liver transplantation offers the only definitive treatment for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Medicine
- Pulmonology
- Hepatology
Background:
- Liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension can lead to serious respiratory complications.
- Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is characterized by abnormal intrapulmonary vascular dilatations.
Observation:
- A 42-year-old male patient presented with progressive dyspnea and hypoxemia.
- The patient had a known history of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
Findings:
- Pulmonary perfusion scan using 99m Tc-albumin confirmed hepatopulmonary syndrome.
- The scan revealed a right-left shunt, with tracer detected in the brain, thyroid, kidneys, and spleen, indicating systemic circulation bypass of the lungs.
Implications:
- Hepatopulmonary syndrome significantly impacts respiratory function in patients with liver disease.
- Liver transplantation is the only effective treatment, offering potential reversal of HPS and improved survival.
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