In recent years, there has been a growing interest in assessing congestion of organs (e.g., liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines) in patients with heart failure (HF). HF involves an increased risk of mortality, thereby making it important to evaluate organ congestion. Ultrasonography is a useful tool for noninvasive and repeatable evaluation of patients with HF. Noninvasive evaluation of organ congestion can also be used to assess hemodynamics. It may further be useful for elucidating organ cross-talk in patients with HF. This review discusses the clinical implications of evaluating organ congestion by ultrasonography.
Keywords: Heart failure; Liver stiffness; Organ congestion; Ultrasonography.
© 2021. Japanese Society of Echocardiography.