Prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of fetal portal-hepatic venous shunt

Abstract

Objective To evaluate prenatal sonograpic findings and clinical value in fetus with congenital portal-hepatic venous shunt. Methods The prenatal ultrasonographic characteristic of ten cases of congenital portal-hepatic venous shunt were analyzed and summarized. Results Three cases had portal vein-left hepatic venous shunt, two cases with portal vein-right hepatic venous shunt, two cases with situs inversus of left right portal vein, and three cases with multiple shunt among portal and hepatic veins.All the 10 cases with portal-hepatic venous shunt had common sonographic features, ①Two-dimensional ultrasound revealed the distal hepatic veins. The hepatic vein and portal vein were both visualized on the same plane and connected by an anechoic area. ②Vascular signal were noted inside the anechoic area. ③Blood flow inside the anechoic area demonstrated by spectral Doppler was similar to that of the portal vein. Conclusions Prental ultrasonography is valuable in the diagnosis of fetal portal-hepatic venous shunt. Key words: Ultrasonography, prenatal; Portal-hepatic venous shunt; Fetus