[Portal hypertension].

The most frequent cause of portal hypertension is the intrahepatic pre-sinusoidal block in (alcoholic) liver cirrhosis. Every surgical intervention is a great stress for these patients, since it is very difficult to influence the course of cirrhosis itself. Laboratory chemistry and haemodynamical prognostic criteria are of limited value only. Especially during the acute stage clinical evaluation of the patient's general and nutritional condition, age, as well as signs of decompensation such as encephalopathy, icterus and ascites are still of greatest importance. A more or less normal volume of the liver and a perfusion index of approx. 1 is regarded to be a favourable prognostic factor.