Sustained low diffusing capacity in hepatopulmonary syndrome after liver transplantation

Table 4 Ventilation-perfusion distributions in patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome before and after liver transplantation (LT) (mean ± SE)

	Pre-LT	Post-LT
Shunt1, % QT2	7.8 ± 3.3	0.6 ± 0.1a
Low VA/Q mode3, % of QT	4.1 ± 2.1	0.0 ± 0.0a
Mean Q4	0.85 ± 0.13	0.84 ± 0.04
Log SDQ5	0.95 ± 0.17	0.49 ± 0.08a
Mean V6	1.50 ± 0.25	1.11 ± 0.15
Log SDV7	0.64 ± 0.04	0.47 ± 0.07a
DISP R-E*8	11 ± 2	4 ± 1a
Dead space, %	18.8 ± 3.9	19.3 ± 4.6
Pred-meas PaO29, mmHg	6 ± 4	7 ± 3

¹Percentage of blood flow to unventilated units (V_A/Q < 0.005) (normal, 0% of Q_T);

²Cardiac output;

³Perfusion to units with V_A/Q ratios between 0.005 and 0.1 (normal, 0% of Q_T);

⁴Mean V_A/Q of the perfusion distribution;

⁵Dispersion of blood flow distribution (normal < 0.60);

⁶Mean V_A/Q of the ventilation distribution;

⁷Dispersion of ventilation distribution (normal < 0.65);

⁸The difference among measured retentions and excretions of the inert gases corrected for the excretion of acetone (normal < 3.0 );

⁹Predicted PaO₂ (by MIGET)-actual PaO₂ (measured).

^aP < 0.05 vs pre-LT.