Preface

Portal hypertension is a rise in the pressure gradient between the portal vein and the inferior vena cava. Realistically, it is difficult to directly measure the portal vein pressure. For this reason, hepatic venous pressure gradient, which can be calculated by subtracting wedged hepatic vein pressure from free hepatic vein pressure, has been employed in clinical practice to establish a diagnosis of portal hypertension. There are various types of portal hypertension, including pre-hepatic, hepatic, and post-hepatic. Nowadays, the management of portal hypertension and its complications is still a clinical challenge.

This book, *Portal Hypertension - Recent Advances* does not intend to cover all areas of management of portal hypertension, but rather focuses on the recent advances in several major topics, including pediatric portal hypertension, sinusoidal obstructions syndrome, endoscopy in the management of portal hypertension, and non-invasive assessment of esophageal varices. These topics should be interesting and helpful for gastroenterologists, hepatologists, endoscopists, and pediatricians interested in this field.

Finally, I greatly appreciate the contributions from the chapter authors and the assistance from Josip Knapić, Author Service Manager at IntechOpen.

> **Xingshun Qi** Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China

**1**

Section 1

Overviews of Portal

Hypertension

Section 1
