Digestive diseases and sciences
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Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is defined as an arterial oxygenation defect induced by intrapulmonary vascular dilatation (IPVD) associated with hepatic disease. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of HPS in portal hypertensive children is not well characterized. ⋯ Hepatopulmonary syndrome particularly occurs in cirrhotic portal hypertensive patients with severe hepatic dysfunction.
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There are sporadic reports in the literature in which radiologic liver and lung lesions found incidentally during follow-up metastatic surveillance were shown to be caused by toxocariasis. ⋯ Serologic tests and liver or lung biopsy should be performed aggressively to exclude toxocariasis when patients with underlying gastrointestinal cancer present with hepatic or pulmonary nodules associated with eosinophilia, particularly if the patients have a clinical history of raw animal liver ingestion. Curative surgical intervention should not be excluded just because of multiple nodules in the liver or the lungs.