Surgical Technique Used for Portal Vein Thrombosis when Thrombectomy Is Not Possible During Liver Transplantation

Abstract

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) was for a long time considered a barrier to liver transplantation. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the surgical technical options for portal vein reconstruction during liver transplantation in patients with PVT in which thrombectomy was not possible. Between September 1991 and March 2009, 420 liver transplanted patients were retrospectively analyzed, identifying 29 cases with PVT (6.9%). Preoperative diagnosis, preoperative risk factors, surgical technique options to treat various forms (grades) of PVT, postoperative recurrence and actuarial survival rates were studied. In three cases of PVT grade II and in one case PVT grade III the thrombectomy was insufficient, requiring some surgical technique options (13.79%). In two cases placement of iliac vein graft was performed, in one an anastomosis of the portal vein with collateral splenorenal vein and in the other with left gastric varicose. The actuarial survival rate for patients without PVT and patients with PVT and effective thrombectomy was 73.8% while those with PVT who needed some type of surgical option was 75%. Our results suggest that actuarial survival rates were similar among patients with PVT or PVT with effective thrombectomy when compared with PVT that required some surgical options.