Cardiac Cirrhosis

Excerpt

Cardiac cirrhosis is a term used to include the spectrum of hepatic disorders that occur secondary to hepatic congestion due to cardiac dysfunction, especially the right heart chambers. Cardiac cirrhosis can be caused by any right-sided pathology that can generate right heart failure that causes an increase in venous congestion and increase of pressure in the hepatic sinusoids. Common causes of cardiac abnormalities that can cause cardiac cirrhosis are (1) valvular disease, (2) severe pulmonary hypertension, (3) cor pulmonale, (4) biventricular heart failure, (5) pericardial diseases, (6) cardiac tamponade, and (7) constrictive pericarditis.