Abstract: Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is the gold standard for diagnosing portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis. In recent years, the clinical application status of HVPG in cirrhotic portal hypertension has been increasing. HVPG plays an extremely important role in predicting the long‐term prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis, but its prognostic value in surgical risks for patients with liver cirrhosis has long been ignored. The authors analyze the current clinically commonly used evaluation system for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis and existing problems, and summarize the application status and prospects of HVPG in surgery for patients with liver cirrhosis.