LEFT-VENTRICULAR DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION PRESENTING AS ASCITES - THE IMPORTANCE OF CLINICALLY ASSESSING CENTRAL VENOUS-PRESSURE

A 66-year-old man without history of heart disease or symptoms of left ventricular (LV) failure was admitted with transudative ascites. Echocardiography showed no valvular or pericardial disease and normal LV function. Gated pool scintigraphy confirmed normal LV systolic function but demonstrated severe right ventricular systolic dysfunction. Catheterization revealed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction as the cause of right-sided failure. The clinician evaluating transudative ascites cannot exclude LV failure on the basis of noninvasive assessment of systolic function alone. Appreciation of an elevated central venous pressure remains the most important evidence of a cardiac source of ascites.