DELAYED RESOLUTION OF SEVERE PULMONARY-HYPERTENSION AFTER ISOLATED LIVER-TRANSPLANTATION IN A PATIENT WITH CIRRHOSIS - CASE-REPORT

Pulmonary hypertension is now recognized to be a rare association of l iver disease and portal hypertension. This report describes the slow r esolution of symptomatic pulmonary hypertension in a 33-year-old woman with cirrhosis who underwent isolated liver transplantation. The pati ent survived the surgery and perioperative period without significant haemodynamic compromise. After liver transplantation, the patient was monitored with regular Doppler echocardiography. By 27 months the pulm onary hypertension had almost completely resolved. This observation is important, as it suggests that patients with severe pulmonary hyperte nsion who survive the perioperative period may have an excellent outco me, although resolution may be slow.