Noninvasive Diagnostics for Portal Hypertension: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Noninvasive diagnostics for portal hypertension include imaging and functional tests, as well as blood-based biomarkers, and capture different features of the portal hypertensive syndrome. Definitive conclusions regarding their clinical utility require assessment of their diagnostic value in specific clinical settings (i.e., diagnosing a particular hemodynamic condition within a well-defined target population). Several noninvasive methods are predictive of clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH; hepatic venous pressure gradient [HVPG] ≥ 10 mm Hg; the threshold for complications of portal hypertension); however, only a minority of them have been evaluated in compensated advanced chronic liver disease (i.e., the target population). Importantly, most methods correlate only weakly with HVPG at high values (i.e., in patients with CSPH). Nevertheless, selected methods show promise for diagnosing HVPG ≥ 16 mm Hg (the cut-off for increased risks of hepatic decompensation and mortality) and monitoring HVPG changes in response to nonselective beta-blockers or etiological treatments. Finally, we review established and potential future clinical applications of noninvasive methods.