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Ascites in cirrhosis

Relative importance of portal hypertension and hypoalbuminemia

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Summary

The relation of wedged hepatic vein pressure and serum albumin concentrations to ascites in 20 patients with cirrhosis of the liver has been studied. Evaluation of the data reveals a much stronger relation of the presence of ascites to serum albumin levels than to the hepatic wedge pressure. Application of the same analytic methods to a previous report on a larger group of cirrhotic patients reveals similar findings.

The results suggest that hypoalbuminemia is of much greater importance than portal hypertension in the pathogenesis of ascites in patients with cirrhosis of the liver.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Internal Medicine Service, U. S. Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, Ill.

    Donald O. Castell (LCDR (MC), USN)

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  1. Donald O. Castell
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The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private ones of the author and are not to be considered as official nor as reflecting the views of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of the Navy Department or the naval service at large.

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Castell, D.O. Ascites in cirrhosis. Digest Dis Sci 12, 916–922 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236449

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236449

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