Methods to evaluate portal hypertension.

There are a variety of clinical investigations available to evaluate the development of portal hypertension and its complications. Although portal pressure or hepatic venous pressure gradient measurements are the most appropriate methods, clinical findings and other hemodynamic measurements should also be evaluated in patients with portal hypertension. Noninvasive techniques such as variceal pressure and echo Doppler flowmetry have not yet been entirely validated, and new techniques are being investigated. Finally, experimental hemodynamic studies of different models of portal hypertension give additional information for the study of this syndrome.