Gastrointestinal disease and the lung

Abstract

Predominantly right-sided pleural effusion occurring in patients with liver cirrhosis and no cardiorespiratory cause for the effusion, often with minimal ascites. The ascitic fluid accumulates in the chest as a result of diaphragmatic defects. Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is the triad of chronic liver disease and portal hypertension, arteriovenous (AV) shunting in the lungs, predominantly at the bases, and subsequent ventilation-perfusion abnormalities, arterial hypoxia. Porto-pulmonary hypertension (POPH) is PAH occurring in association with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The chapter also covers inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, and pancreatitis.