The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 2015
Portal and centrilobular hepatic fibrosis in Fontan circulation and clinical outcomes.
The Fontan operation redirects venous blood flow directly to the pulmonary circulation in subjects with single ventricle anatomy. Congestive hepatopathy and cirrhosis have been described in subjects with Fontan circulation, but the prevalence of and predictors for liver disease remain unknown. ⋯ Individuals with Fontan physiology have a high prevalence of hepatic fibrosis. Signs and symptoms of liver disease did not predict histopathologic findings. Few risk factors for advanced disease were identified. Histopathology findings did not predict transplant-free survival. The role of liver biopsy in this population remains uncertain.