Portal hypertension refers to high blood pressure in which vessels?

• A. High blood pressure in systemic arteries
• B. High blood pressure in hepatic portal veins
• C. Low blood pressure in hepatic veins
• D. High pressure in portal lymphatics

Answer: (B)

Portal hypertension is elevated pressure in the portal venous system—the veins that drain blood from the gastrointestinal tract into the liver. This network, centered on the hepatic portal vein and its branches, can experience increased pressure when blood flow is obstructed through the liver or in the vessels feeding or leaving it. The key idea is that the high pressure stays within the portal veins and their tributaries, not in systemic arteries, not in the hepatic veins, and not in the lymphatic vessels. This backpressure explains issues like varices and ascites that arise from blood trying to find alternate routes back to the heart.