Remodeling of the Pulmonary Circulation in Patients with Viral Liver Cirrhosis

Aim. To study some structural and functional indicators of the right heart, as well as the effect of antiviral therapy on these parameters in patients with viral liver cirrhosis (VLC).Material and methods. Patients with VLC (n=98; mean age 40.6 years, disease duration 3.9 years) were examined. The patients were divided into 2 groups: without ascites (1 st group; n=59) and with ascites (2nd group; n=39). The control group included 22 healthy volunteers. All participants had standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography.Results. The thickness of the anterior wall of the right ventricle (RV) was increased in the 1 st and 2nd groups compared with the control (by 20% and 27%, respectively), as well as the volume index of the left atrium. The decrease in the rate of early RV filling (E) and the E/A ratio was found: in the 1st group - 0.9 [0.8;1.31 ], in the 2nd group - 0.8 [0.78; 1.2] with a control value of 1.6 [1.2;1.94] (p