liver and gallbladder disorders
Portal Hypertension
Diagnosis of Portal Hypertension
A doctor's evaluation Sometimes blood tests and tests to evaluate mental function Imaging tests, such as ultrasonography Usually, doctors can recognize portal hypertension based on symptoms and findings during the physical examination. Doctors can usually feel an enlarged spleen when they examine the abdomen. They can detect fluid in the abdomen by noting abdominal swelling and by listening for a dull sound when tapping (percussing) the abdomen. Doctors may suspect Hepatic Encephalopathy based on symptoms (such as confusion), but blood tests and tests designed to evaluate mental function may be needed. Ultrasonography may be used to examine blood flow in the portal vein and nearby blood vessels and to detect fluid in the abdomen. Ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) can be used to look for and examine collateral vessels (see Imaging Tests of the Liver and Gallbladder ). Less commonly, a catheter is inserted through an incision in the neck and threaded through blood vessels into the liver to measure pressure in the portal blood vessels. 