Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment

Portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is a rare subtype of Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with a poor prognosis. According to the most up-to-date definition, PoPH is characterized by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) of >20 mmHg at rest, a pulmonary artery wedge pressure of...

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Main Authors: Yuichi Tamura, Yudai Tamura, Yu Taniguchi, Masanori Atsukawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1142836/full
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author Yuichi Tamura
Yuichi Tamura
Yudai Tamura
Yudai Tamura
Yu Taniguchi
Masanori Atsukawa
author_facet Yuichi Tamura
Yuichi Tamura
Yudai Tamura
Yudai Tamura
Yu Taniguchi
Masanori Atsukawa
author_sort Yuichi Tamura
collection DOAJ
description Portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is a rare subtype of Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with a poor prognosis. According to the most up-to-date definition, PoPH is characterized by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) of >20 mmHg at rest, a pulmonary artery wedge pressure of ≤15 mmHg, and a pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of >2 Wood units with portal hypertension. Like PAH, PoPH is underpinned by an imbalance in vasoactive substances. Therefore, current guidelines recommend PAH-specific therapies for PoPH treatment; however, descriptions of the actual treatment approaches are inconsistent. Given the small patient population, PoPH is often studied in combination with idiopathic PAH; however, recent evidence suggests important differences between PoPH and idiopathic PAH in terms of hemodynamic parameters, treatment approaches, survival, socioeconomic status, and healthcare utilization. Therefore, large, multi-center registry studies are needed to examine PoPH in isolation while obtaining statistically meaningful results. PoPH has conventionally been excluded from clinical drug trials because of concerns over hepatotoxicity. Nevertheless, newer-generation endothelin receptor antagonists have shown great promise in the treatment of PoPH, reducing PVR, PAP, and World Health Organization functional class without causing hepatotoxicity. The role of liver transplantation as a treatment option for PoPH has also been controversial; however, recent evidence shows that this procedure may be beneficial in this patient population. In the future, given the shortage of liver donors, predictors of a favorable response to liver transplantation should be determined to select the most eligible patients. Collectively, advances in these three areas could help to standardize PoPH treatment in the clinic.
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spelling doaj.art-e0d95269cd8d4825a28acf2854ff00222023-04-04T05:13:32ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Medicine2296-858X2023-04-011010.3389/fmed.2023.11428361142836Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatmentYuichi Tamura0Yuichi Tamura1Yudai Tamura2Yudai Tamura3Yu Taniguchi4Masanori Atsukawa5Pulmonary Hypertension Center, International University of Health and Welfare Mita Hospital, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Cardiology, International University of Health and Welfare School of Medicine, Narita, JapanPulmonary Hypertension Center, International University of Health and Welfare Mita Hospital, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Cardiology, International University of Health and Welfare School of Medicine, Narita, JapanDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, JapanDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, JapanPortopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is a rare subtype of Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with a poor prognosis. According to the most up-to-date definition, PoPH is characterized by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) of >20 mmHg at rest, a pulmonary artery wedge pressure of ≤15 mmHg, and a pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) of >2 Wood units with portal hypertension. Like PAH, PoPH is underpinned by an imbalance in vasoactive substances. Therefore, current guidelines recommend PAH-specific therapies for PoPH treatment; however, descriptions of the actual treatment approaches are inconsistent. Given the small patient population, PoPH is often studied in combination with idiopathic PAH; however, recent evidence suggests important differences between PoPH and idiopathic PAH in terms of hemodynamic parameters, treatment approaches, survival, socioeconomic status, and healthcare utilization. Therefore, large, multi-center registry studies are needed to examine PoPH in isolation while obtaining statistically meaningful results. PoPH has conventionally been excluded from clinical drug trials because of concerns over hepatotoxicity. Nevertheless, newer-generation endothelin receptor antagonists have shown great promise in the treatment of PoPH, reducing PVR, PAP, and World Health Organization functional class without causing hepatotoxicity. The role of liver transplantation as a treatment option for PoPH has also been controversial; however, recent evidence shows that this procedure may be beneficial in this patient population. In the future, given the shortage of liver donors, predictors of a favorable response to liver transplantation should be determined to select the most eligible patients. Collectively, advances in these three areas could help to standardize PoPH treatment in the clinic.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1142836/fullportopulmonary hypertensiontreatmentendothelin receptor antagonistliver transplantationpulmonary arterial hypertensionscreening
spellingShingle Yuichi Tamura
Yuichi Tamura
Yudai Tamura
Yudai Tamura
Yu Taniguchi
Masanori Atsukawa
Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
Frontiers in Medicine
portopulmonary hypertension
treatment
endothelin receptor antagonist
liver transplantation
pulmonary arterial hypertension
screening
title Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
title_full Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
title_fullStr Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
title_full_unstemmed Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
title_short Current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
title_sort current clinical understanding and effectiveness of portopulmonary hypertension treatment
topic portopulmonary hypertension
treatment
endothelin receptor antagonist
liver transplantation
pulmonary arterial hypertension
screening
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1142836/full
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