Interventional therapy of complications after liver transplantation:complications of portal vein / 介入放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

The insufficient blood supply to the portal vein after liver transplantation, mainly caused by portal vein stenosis (PVS)or portal vein thrombosis(PVT), occurs low in incidence but would be serious enough to lead to graft failure. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is critical to allow graft salvage. The color Doppler flow image (CDFI) could be the first choice for testing portal venous flow, and angiography is reliable for further accurate diagnosis on meaningful functional change of the stenosis. The interventional therapy , including percutaneous balloon angioplasty and stent placement, is safe and effective in lowering the portal venous pressure after hepatic transplantation with portal vein stenosis. Thrombolysis, percutaneous mechanical fragmentation and stent placement ,as the treatments of early portal vein thrombosis, are effective therapeutic methods, and TIPS is also a proper management if necessary.