Echocardiographic Assessment of Intrapulmonary Vasodilatation: Agitated Saline Versus Polygeline

Intrapulmonary vasodilatation is a frequent finding in patients with cirrhosis. Its diagnosis is established via contrast enhanced echocardiography. One used method is the contrast agent agitated saline and another frequently used method is the contrast agent polygeline. The purpose of this study is to compare these two echocardiographic contrast agents with respect to their ability to detect intrapulmonary vasodilatation.