Hepatic Elastography in the Assessment of Heart Failure: Where We Came from and Where We Are Going

Conclusion

There seems to be a consensus that the greater the liver stiffness, the greater the risk of mortality (“Stone liver, heart in danger”, according to Pernot and Villemain) However, innumerous studies are necessary to determine which therapeutic interventions would be capable of decreasing that stiffness and whether such decrease would have a consistent impact on prognosis. Another relevant data is that we do not know exactly the amount of information that HE can add to clinical practice, in addition to the information already provided by echocardiography and BNP.

It is believed that a long way must be taken until this technique becomes a useful tool for cardiologists, with favorable impact on the management of a disease with high morbidity, mortality and cost for the healthcare system. Nevertheless, we can state that the interpretation of results by the clinician involved in the patient’s treatment will be undoubtedly crucial for its success.

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