This book presents the proceedings from the 'Baveno IV International Consensus Workshop: Methodology of diagnosis and treatment in portal hypertension' which was held on April 28-29, 2005 in Baveno, Italy.

These meetings are important to raise awareness of difficulties and defining some key events related to portal hypertension and variceal bleeding. They also help to produce guidelines aimed at improving trials conducted in this field.

Since the Baveno III meeting, new diagnostic tools, new drugs and new treatment strategies for portal hypertension have been developed. Therefore this book updates recommendations for diagnosis and management. It includes evidence from the workshop on pathophysiology, natural history, methods of evaluation and established treatments of portal hypertension.

In addition, this books looks at important emerging topics such as the role of coagulation disturbances, portopulmonary hypertension and the hepatopulmonary syndrome, hepato-renal syndrome, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and infections.

This gives clinicians and investigators current evidence and helps to inform treatment decisions.