lung and airway disorders
Hepatopulmonary Syndrome
Diagnosis of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome
Pulse oximetry Often contrast echocardiography and/or a nuclear lung scan Doctors suspect hepatopulmonary syndrome in people with liver disease who develop shortness of breath . If hepatopulmonary syndrome is suspected, doctors measure the amount of oxygen in the blood using a sensor placed on a finger (pulse oximetry). Sometimes doctors also take a sample of blood after the person has been breathing room air and again after the person breathes oxygen and measure the levels of oxygen in the samples. Tests that can help establish the diagnosis include a type of echocardiography in which a solution is injected intravenously (contrast echocardiography) and a nuclear lung scan. 