Surgical treatment of portal hypertension—long-term results

Abstract

The records of 28 patients who have survived more than 5 years following surgical treatment for portal hypertension have been reviewed. These patients have been divided into three groups based on the etiology of their portal hypertension: postnecrotic cirrhosis—6 patients; alcoholic cirrhosis—18 patients; and extrahepatic block—4 patients. Twenty-seven patients were treated by some type of portacaval shunt. Almost half of the cirrhotic patients have been free of major symptoms during this period of extended survival. Hepatic encephalopathy and gastrointestinal tract bleeding have been the most frequently encountered postoperative complications and hepatic failure the most common cause of death. These results add additional evidence to indicate that patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension may survive for prolonged periods in a satisfactory state of health following the creation of a portacaval shunt.