Procedure-related pulmonary hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing percutaneous ethanol injection--role of ethanol, hemolysis, asymmetric dimethylarginine, and the nitric oxide system.

Objective: Local percutaneous tumor ablation with ethanol injection (PEI) under general anesthesia is an established therapy for patients with nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There are reports of sudden hypotension immediately after PEI therapy, which was attributed to an acute increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. The aim of our study was to objectively confirm pulmonary hypertension by right heart catheterization and to evaluate biochemical markers with relevance to the pulmonary circulation.

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Objective: We explored the potential role of the endogenous NO synthase inhibitor asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Method and Results- We correlated plasma ADMA levels and cardiovascular indices from right heart catheterization in 57 patients with IPAH. Predictors of survival in patients with IPAH were studied.