Surveillance for portal hypertension in the course of liver cirrhosis

Abstract

Non-invasive liver fibrosis assessment techniques are under development for evaluating the severity of liver disease and portal hypertension. The paper presents practical arrangements for the diagnosis and treatment of portal hypertension in patients with chronic liver disease, established in the Baveno VI Consensus Workshop for diagnosis and treatment of portal hypertension. Currently, the diagnostic standard of liver disease severity is transient elastography, which can identify patients with clinically significant portal hypertension (liver stiffness > 20 kPa). The paper presents the eligibility criteria for endoscopy and the principle of repeating the assessment of oesophageal varices. It also describes the primary and secondary prevention of gastroesophageal haemorrhage, the treatment of oesophageal bleeding and the treatment of liver vessel thrombosis.