Alteraciones neuropsicológicas en pacientes con hipertensión portal prehepática / Neuropsychological alterations found in patients with prehepatic portal hypertension

INTRODUCCIÓN: en la hipertensión portal prehepática secundaria a obstrucción trombótica, pueden aparecer trastornos neurocognoscitivos, similares a la encefalopatía sistémica vista en afecciones hepáticas crónicas, la que puede estar bien definida clínicamente o en una forma subaguda, actualmente llamada encefalopatía hepática mínima. Esta consiste en la detección de déficits neuropsicológicos en pacientes sin alteraciones en la exploración neurológica rutinaria. En los niños, es difícil su estudio debido a la falta de pruebas neuropsicológicas estandarizadas para todas las edades. OBJETIVO: identificar la presencia de alteraciones neuropsicológicas en los pacientes pediátricos con hipertensión portal prehepática. MÉTODOS: se estudiaron 12 pacientes con hipertensión portal prehepática secundaria a cateterismo umbilical, mediante diferentes técnicas psicológicas. Las variables fueron: edad, tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad, forma clínica de inicio, alteraciones neuropsicológicas y procedimiento quirúrgico empleado. RESULTADOS: predominaron los pacientes entre 10 y 14 años de edad, y con un tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad entre 6 y 10 años. El sangrado digestivo alto fue la forma clínica de inicio más frecuente. En 11 casos se detectaron déficits en la atención involuntaria, concentración de la atención, memoria inmediata y dinámica de la actividad de la memoria. En 8 pacientes se afectó el pensamiento en su aspecto operacional, y en 6 la dinámica de la actividad del pensamiento. La mayoría de los niños con alteraciones neuropsicológicas no estaban intervenidos quirúrgicamente. CONCLUSIONES: existen trastornos predictivos de encefalopatía hepática mínima en pacientes con hipertensión portal prehepática. No utilizar el tratamiento quirúrgico puede estar relacionado con la aparición de las alteraciones neuropsicológicas. Teóricamente la solución sería derivaciones portoportales realizadas precozmente, o procedimientos que eliminen la obstrucción portal. Se requiere profundizar y generalizar esta investigación al resto de los pacientes con el diagnóstico de esta enfermedad

INTRODUCTION: in the prehepatic portal hypertension secondary to thrombotic obstruction, there may appear neurocognitive disorders similar to systemic encephalopathy seen in chronic hepatic illnesses. This portal hypertension may be clinically well-defined or occurs in a subacute form currently known as minimal hepatic encephalopathy. This consists of neurophyshcological deficits in patients without alterations in the routine neurological exploration. It is difficult to study it in children due to lack of standardized neuropsychological tests for all ages. OBJECTIVES: to identify the presence of neupsychological alterations in pediatric patients with prehepatic portal hypertension. METHODS: twelve patients with prehepatic portal hypertension secondary to umbilical catheterism were studied through different psychological techniques. The study variables were age, time of progression of disease, initial clinical form, neuropsychological alterations and surgical procedure used. RESULTS: predominance of patients aged 10 to 14 years and time of progression ranging 6 to 10 years. The upper digestive bleeding was the most common initial clinical form. Eleven patients showed deficit in involuntary attention, focused attention, immediate memory and dynamics of the memorizing activity. Eight patients suffered problems in the operational aspect of their thinking and 6 had the dynamics of their thinking affected. Most of children with neuropsychological alterations were not operated on. CONCLUSIONS: there are predictive disorders of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in patients suffering prehepatic portal hypertension. The failure to use the surgical treatment may be related to occurrence of neuropsychological alterations. Theoretically speaking, the solution would lie in performing early portoportal shunts or procedures eliminating the portal obstruction. It is necessary to delve into this research and generalize the results to the rest of patients diagnosed with this disease.

Clinical, radiologic, and endoscopic characteristics upon diagnosis of patients with prehepatic portal hypertension at the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría from 2001 to 2011.

BACKGROUND: Prehepatic portal hypertension in children can be asymptomatic for many years. Once diagnosed, the therapeutic measures (pharmacologic, endoscopic, and surgical) are conditioned by the specific characteristics of each patient. In Mexico, there are no recorded data on the incidence of the disease and patient characteristics. AIMS: To determine the main clinical, radiologic, and endoscopic characteristics upon diagnosis of these patients at the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría within the time frame of January 2001 and December 2011. METHODS: A cross-sectional, retrolective, descriptive, and observational study was conducted in which all the medical records of the patients with portal hypertension diagnosis were reviewed. RESULTS: There was a greater prevalence of prehepatic etiology (32/52) (61.5%) in the portal hypertension cases reviewed. Males (62.5%) predominated and 11 of the 32 patients were under 4 years of age. The primary reason for medical consultation was upper digestive tract bleeding with anemia (71.9%) and the main pathology was cavernomatous degeneration of the portal vein (65.6%). Splenoportography was carried out on 17 of the 32 patients. A total of 65.5% of the patients received the combination therapy of propranolol and a proton pump inhibitor. Initial endoscopy revealed esophageal varices in 96.9% of the patients, 12 of whom presented with gastroesophageal varices. Congestive gastropathy was found in 75% of the patients. The varices were ligated in 8 cases, sclerotherapy for esophageal varices was carried out in 5 cases (15.6%), and sclerotherapy for gastric varices was performed in 2 patients. Seventeen patients (53.1%) underwent portosystemic diversion: 10 of the procedures employed a mesocaval shunt and 7 a splenorenal shunt. Nine patients (28.1%) underwent total splenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The primary cause of the disease was cavernomatous degeneration of the portal vein; it was predominant in males and the first symptom was variceal bleeding.

Hipertensión portal prehepática en los niños / Pre-hepatic portal high blood pressure in children

Se realiza un análisis teórico de novedades en materia de etiología, fisiopatología, diagnóstico y tratamiento de la hipertensión portal prehepática, considerando la existencia de una población de riesgo para establecer las bases de una nueva concepción sobre la enfermedad en los niños cubanos. Para ello se aplican los métodos histórico, lógico y sistémico, y se analizan críticamente los elementos revisados. El análisis teórico revela la existencia de una categoría de pacientes de riesgo, el carácter deletéreo y sistémico de la enfermedad y la necesidad de utilizar tratamientos multimodales. Se aporta una nueva clasificación en base a la cual será posible individualizar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento, y crear una estrategia de enfrentamiento diferente (AU)

A theoretical analysis of the state of the art concerning etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of pre-hepatic portal high blood pressure considering the existence of risk population to establish the basis of a new conception on the disease in Cuban children. Thus, the historical, logical and systemic methods are applied analyzing in a critical way the reviewed elements. The theoretical analysis reveals the existence of a risk patients category, the deleterious and systemic character of this entity and the need to use multimode treatments. It is offered a new classification based on which will be possible to individualize the diagnosis and the treatment and to create a different confrontation strategy (AU)

Hipertensión portal prehepática en los niños / Pre-hepatic portal high blood pressure in children

Se realiza un análisis teórico de novedades en materia de etiología, fisiopatología, diagnóstico y tratamiento de la hipertensión portal prehepática, considerando la existencia de una población de riesgo para establecer las bases de una nueva concepción sobre la enfermedad en los niños cubanos. Para ello se aplican los métodos histórico, lógico y sistémico, y se analizan críticamente los elementos revisados. El análisis teórico revela la existencia de una categoría de pacientes de riesgo, el carácter deletéreo y sistémico de la enfermedad y la necesidad de utilizar tratamientos multimodales. Se aporta una nueva clasificación en base a la cual será posible individualizar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento, y crear una estrategia de enfrentamiento diferente

A theoretical analysis of the state of the art concerning etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of pre-hepatic portal high blood pressure considering the existence of risk population to establish the basis of a new conception on the disease in Cuban children. Thus, the historical, logical and systemic methods are applied analyzing in a critical way the reviewed elements. The theoretical analysis reveals the existence of a risk patients category, the deleterious and systemic character of this entity and the need to use multimode treatments. It is offered a new classification based on which will be possible to individualize the diagnosis and the treatment and to create a different confrontation strategy