Educational Exhibit Abstract No. 368 - Portal vein interventions

Abstract

Learning Objectives To discuss various portal venous interventions offered by interventional radiology including their indications, contraindications, clinical utility, expected outcome, and common complications. Background Different portal vein interventions include portal vein stent (PVS), portal vein embolizaion (PVE), transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and direct intrahepatic portocaval shunt (DIPS). Clinical Findings/Procedure Details Portal Vein Stent (PVS ): Performed in the setting of portal venous stenosis or occlusion that commonly occurs in neoplastic conditions or post liver transplantation. Liver abscess has been reported as a post procedural complication. Portal Vein Embolization (PVE) : Performed in preoperative treatment of major hepatic resection in patient when the future liver remnant is too small. PVE complications are rare but include transient hemobilia, infection, need for reembolization, portal vein thrombosis, and portal hypertension. Portal Vein Thrombolysis (PVT) : PVT is the preferred treatment for acute intravascular thrombosis. Percutaneous portal vein clot lysis can be initiated in a few minutes providing almost immediate clot dissolution without the need for surgical intervention. Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) : Indications for TIPS procedure include recurrent or refractory variceal bleeding, Budd Chiari syndrome, hepatic hydrothorax, hepatorenal syndrome, and intractable ascites. Complications include but are not limited to hepatic encephalopathy, heart failure. There is improved survival of patients with refractory ascites when treated with TIPS. Direct Intrahepatic Portocaval Shunt (DIPS) : Indications are similar to TIPS procedure for decompression of portal venous system. DIPS procedure includes direct puncture from the IVC through the caudate lobe to the main portal vein. The safety and effectiveness is increased by eliminating blind PV puncture and hepatic vein stenosis which is the most common cause of chronic TIPS failure. Conclusion and/or Teaching Points Knowledge of portal vein interventions including their indication, clinical utility and expected outcome is critical for clinicians to improve patient care.