Rare Association of Budd-Chiari Syndrome with COVID-19: A Case Report

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus that can cause respiratory infections and pose a risk to patients' lives. While it primarily affects the airways, it can also lead to extrapulmonary clinical manifestations, such as hypercoagulable states, resulting in conditions like cerebrovascular disease, acute myocardial infarction, and, in rare cases, Budd-Chiari syndrome. Clinical case: This case involves a patient who was admitted to the emergency room with dyspnea on moderate exertion, progressive functional class deterioration, lower extremity edema, cough, fever, and weakness. The patient had a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection one month prior. Abdominal CT scan revealed subacute Budd-Chiari syndrome involving the middle sub-hepatic vein, along with right ventricle thrombosis, and a positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions: Budd-Chiari syndrome has multiple causes, primarily associated with hypercoagulable states or the presence of neoplasms that disrupt liver function or obstruct hepatic venous drainage. However, the understanding of the relationship between COVID-19 hypercoagulability and Budd-Chiari syndrome is still limited. Further research is needed to explore the heterogeneity of its pathogenesis in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Introducción: el coronavirus del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave de tipo 2 (SARS-CoV-2) es un virus que puede causar infecciones respiratorias y poner en riesgo la vida de los pacientes. Aunque afecta principalmente las vías respiratorias, se pueden presentar manifestaciones clínicas extrapulmonares como estados de hipercoagulabilidad, lo que causa patologías como enfermedad cerebrovascular e infarto agudo de miocardio, y en casos menos frecuentes, síndrome de Budd-Chiari. Caso clínico: se presenta el caso de una paciente que ingresó al servicio de urgencias por disnea de medianos esfuerzos, deterioro progresivo de la clase funcional y edema en extremidades inferiores asociado con tos, fiebre y adinamia. Refirió el antecedente de infección por enfermedad por coronavirus de 2019 (COVID-19) un mes antes y la tomografía de abdomen contrastada reveló síndrome de Budd-Chiari subagudo de la vena subhepática media asociada a trombosis del ventrículo derecho con prueba positiva para SARS-CoV-2. Conclusiones: El síndrome de Budd-Chiari es de origen multicausal, principalmente por estados de hipercoagulabilidad o presencia de neoplasias que ocasionan disrupción de la función del hígado o causan la ocupación de espacio sobre el drenaje venoso hepático; sin embargo, en el contexto de la pandemia de SARS CoV-2, aún se conoce muy poco la heterogeneidad de su patogénesis, como es la hipercoagulabilidad de la COVID-19 y el síndrome de Budd-Chiari, por lo que inferimos que están altamente relacionados.

Venous anomalies in hypoplastic posterior fossa: unsolved questions.

INTRODUCTION: Anomalous intracranial venous anatomy is described in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis and is of significant importance when it comes to surgical morbidity. However, it is still controversial its origin, type of circulation in each syndrome, how it behaves over time, when it can be interrupted and wether it needs to be studied. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues by reviewing the literature. METHODS: A literature search was performed using the PubMed database with a focus on papers including detailed descriptions of the venous outflow in complex and syndromic craniosynostosis. Search details used were the following: ("veins"[MeSH Terms] OR "veins"[All Fields] OR "venous"[All Fields]) AND ("abnormalities"[Subheading] OR "abnormalities"[All Fields] OR "anomalies"[All Fields]) AND syndromic[All Fields] AND ("craniosynostoses" [MeSH Terms] OR "craniosynostoses"[All Fields] OR "craniosynostosis"[All Fields]). Studies that exposed details of venous anomalies found in syndromic or complex craniosynostosis were selected. RESULTS: Of a total of 211 articles found, 11 were selected for this review. Of these, 5 were case reports, 5 retrospective studies, and only 1 prospective study. From the 6 series of cases presented, 5 discussed the relationship between jugular foramen stenosis (JFS) and collateral venous drainage. The authors discuss data from the literature for each leading question presented: 1-collateral circulation: is it an intrinsic trouble, a consequence of stenosis of the cranial base foramina or related to raised intracranial pressure (ICP)?; 2-what venous anomalies should we search for, and what is the best exam to study them?; 3-collateral circulation changes with time?; 4-can neurosurgeons interrupt the collateral circulation?; 5-should we study all complex types of craniosynostosis? CONCLUSION: The importance of the study of the venous outflow in patients with complex craniosynostosis is evident in the literature. The real relationship between intracranial hypertension, hypoplastic skull base foramen, Chiari I malformation, hydrocephalus, and venous collateral circulation remains unknown. Prospective studies focusing on molecular biology analysis will possibly solve all of these leading questions.

Type II Abernethy Malformation in a Patient with Primary Budd-Chiari Syndrome.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by hepatic venous outflow obstruction. Abernethy malformation is a congenital vascular malformation defined by diversion of portal blood away from the liver. Both conditions are rare vascular diseases. We report here the first case of a patient with combined type II Abernethy malformation and BCS from China. The inferior vena cava obstruction was treated with percutaneous balloon angioplasty; close follow-up was elected for the Abernethy malformation.