Joint work, or collective work, holds out substantial promise for advancing our understanding of how pathophysiology evolves over time and how best to alter the course of disease. ESPGHAN fosters such collaboration – the podcast that this note accompanies is a good example. A recently established registry of children with portal hypertension and its complications illustrates this effort.

In this episode, two physician-scientists who are among the registrars share their insights: Oanez Ackermann, of Le Kremlin–Bicêtre (Paris), and Tassos Grammatikopoulos, of King’s College Hospital (London). They address key questions:

• Why has a registry worthy of the name been so late in arriving?

• What are the registry’s goals?

• How can portal hypertension best be diagnosed non-invasively today, and what progress is expected in this area?

• How can pulmonary hypertension, a severe complication of portal hypertension, be best diagnosed?

Meaty stuff! For further details, you are referred to the articles listed below.

Literature

• El Koofy N et al. Prevalence and predictors of pulmonary hypertension in children with portal hypertension: A single center study. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. 2025 Mar; 28(2):101-112. Doi: 10.5223/pghn.2025.28.2.101. Epub 2025 Mar 5. PMID: 40109566. PMCID: PMC11919534

• Grammatikopoulos T et al. Considerations in the development of the International Multicenter Pediatric Portal Hypertension Registry. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2025 Jan; 80(1):197-202. Doi: 10.1002/jpn3.12415. Epub 2024 Nov 18. PMID: 39552494

• Rockey DC et al. Noninvasive liver disease assessment to identify portal hypertension: Systematic and narrative reviews supporting the AASLD Practice Guideline. Hepatology. 2025 Mar 1; 81(3):1086-1104. Doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000841. Epub 2024 Mar 15. PMID: 38489516

Dr. Grammatikopoulos & Dr. Ackermann´s favourite song: Nina Simone – Feeling Good

ESPGHAN favourite songs can be found on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0YIHKjxITLEm9XNyHyypTo