Haemodynamic and renal effects of tadalafil in patients with cirrhosis

A recent report introduced the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition by vardenafil as a novel treatment of portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. In the herein presented letter to the editor, the administration of tadalafil did not influence portal haemodynamics but impaired systemic haemodynamics in patients with cirrhosis. Our observations concur with the results of a report in a previous issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology (October 2008). Moreover, tadalafil adversely affected renal function in patients with decompensated liver disease. (C) 2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.