Portal hypertension

Portal hypertension in abdominal ultrasound refers to abnormally high blood pressure in the portal venous system, primarily caused by increased resistance to blood flow in the liver. This condition is commonly associated with chronic liver diseases like cirrhosis. Ultrasound plays a crucial role in diagnosing portal hypertension by evaluating key indicators such as portal vein diameter, flow velocity, and the presence of collateral vessels (e.g., splenorenal shunts), aiding in early detection and management.

Accurate assessment of portal hypertension via medical ultrasound helps clinicians identify complications like ascites and esophageal varices. Doppler ultrasound techniques are essential for non-invasively quantifying portal blood flow dynamics, making it a vital tool for monitoring disease progression and treatment effectiveness. Understanding these ultrasound findings is crucial for comprehensive abdominal diagnostics.

Clinical Author

Bruno Vargas is originally from Mexico City. He first trained as an Emergency Medical Technician at la Universidad Panamericana (UP) before starting medical school at la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City. Later he did his social service year in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas with Partners in Health Mexico/Compañeros en Salud (CES) in 2019, where he was trained in Global Health, social medicine, and introduced to Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). At that moment while working in a resource-limited setting he became passionate about POCUS. He graduated as a general practitioner, and afterward stayed with CES during the pandemic as part of the COVID-19 task force, training community healthcare workers and “pasantes” (first-year doctors doing their year of social service). He finished the Ultrasound Leadership Academy (ULA) fellowship and has started a POCUS training program at his site with midwives, nurses, doctors, and trainees from these areas. He is currently doing a Global Health Fellowship with HEAL as a site fellow in Chiapas with CES. He has committed to a lifelong career in global health providing healthcare access to the most marginalized communities. He has a profound respect and admiration for nature and loves any kind of outdoor activities, especially bicycling, high mountain, and scuba-diving.

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