Cirrhosis and vascular endothelial dysfunction.

This review summarizes and discusses sinusoidal endothelial cell dysfunctions in cirrhosis, as well as endothelial dysfunctions in the arterial splanchnic and systemic circulation in cirrhosis. In liver cirrhosis, endothelial dysfunction is known as impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation in the liver microcirculation and contributes to increased intra-hepatic vascular resistance, leading to portal hypertension.