Current role of surgery for the treatment of portal hypertension.

Portal hypertension surgery has evolved widely in the last decades. Since the first surgical shunt was done in 1945 for the treatment of recurrent hemorrhage, many surgical options have been developed including selective shunts, low diameter shunts and extensive devascularization procedures. Many of them have been studied and compared showing their advantages and disadvantages, evolving also their role in the therapeutic armamentarium. Surgery is nowadays a second line treatment option (after b blockers and endoscopic therapy), and it's main indication is for patients whose main and only problem is history of bleeding, with good liver function (Child-Pugh A). For emergency situations it has a very limited role and for primary prophylaxis virtually has also no role. Patients with good liver function, electively operated with portal blood flow preserving procedures are the patients that benefit from surgical treatment. Patients with a bad liver function are better candidates for a liver transplant.

[Esophageal closed transection for surgical treatment of portal hypertension. A 10-year experience]. / Transección cerrada de esófago para el tratamiento quirúrgico de hipertensión portal. Experiencia en 10 años.

BACKGROUND: Extensive esophagogastric devascularization (Sugiura-Futagawa operation and complete portoazygos disconnection) are excellent alternate choices for low-risk patients (Child-Pugh A-B) in whom a selective shunt is not feasible, obtaining a low postoperative rebleeding rate and a good quality of life. Esophageal transection is an important step in these procedures because submucosal varices are obliterated, achieving complete portoazygos disconnection. Results during one decade with closed variant of esophageal transection are reported. METHOD: Between 1990 and 2000, 78 patients were operated on (69 Child-Pugh A and nine Child Pugh B) in two operative stages with Sugiura-Futagawa operation and complete portoazygos disconnection. Files of these patients were reviewed and recurrence of hemorrhage was evaluated as well as fistulization and dehiscence. RESULTS: Among 78 modified transections, only one case of dehiscence was observed (1.2%) (very early in our experience) with concomitant mortality. Rebleeding was observed in 11% of cases, with two cases of stenosis that required dilatation. During the last 7 years (57 patients), no complication has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: Modified transection has a very low complication rate with long-term results comparable to those of classic transection.