Pulmonary hypertension complicating hepatocellular carcinoma.

A case of primary liver cell carcinoma is presented in which tumor emboli to the pulmonary microvasculature resulted in pulmonary hypertension, documented by clinical, radiologic, electrocardiographic, and cardiac catheter studies. Emboli arose from tumor invading the portal vein and passed via a patent splenorenal shunt to the systemic venous and pulmonary arterial microvasculature. Despite a prolonged clinical course (20 mo) there was no radiologic evidence of pulmonary metastases and, histologically, tumor emboli were seen to undergo organization and recanalization.