Management experience of portal vein thrombosis of liver transplantation

Abstract

Objective To investigate the surgical options for the management of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) during liver transplantation and its impact on the outcome of patients. Methods 773 cases of liver transplantation were analyzed retrospectively. PVT occurred in 107 patients, inclu-ding 59 of grade Ⅰ ,33 of grade Ⅱ, 12 of grade Ⅲ and 3 of grade Ⅳ. Simple thrombectomy or thrombus-extraction was performed in grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ. 12 patients with grade Ⅲ received thrombus-extraction or using the donor iliac vein to act as a bridge between the donor portal vein and host superior mesenteric vein. Two cases of grade Ⅳ received a modified cavo-portal hemitransposition and one case received portal-vena coronaria varication anastomosis. Results Liver function had a good recover and the perio-perative mortality is 4. 3% in grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ. In grade Ⅲ , 5 cases received thrombus-extraction had a normal liver function after transplantation and had no died. 2 cases among the other 7 cases using por-tal vein reconstruction had bad liver function and died. The liver function recovered well after trans-plantation and there was no died in grade Ⅳ. Conclusions PVT is not a contraindication for liver transplantation. Good results can be obtained by applying reasonable operative procedures individually. Key words: Liver transplantation; Portal vein; Thrombosis; Hemitransposition