Aszites – Diagnostik, Therapie und Sekundärkomplikationen

Ascites - Clinical Diagnostics, Treatment and Secondary Complications The development of ascites is an important event in the clinical course of a patient with liver cirrhosis since the prognosis of survival declines constantly after the first hydropic decompensation. Therapeutic options aim for symptom relief; however, they cannot stop the progress of the underlying cirrhosis but merely delay it. Therefore, orthotopic liver transplantation as the only curative treatment should be considered in time. If ascites becomes refractory to standard treatment, placement of a TIPS should be evaluated. In the absence of contraindications, a TIPS may even be preferred to recurrent paracentesis. Secondary complications of ascites need to be diagnosed accurately and, when indicated, treated prophylactically to prevent a lethal outcome.