title: Survival after portacaval shunt: who and how?
abstract: In a series of 74 portacaval-shunted patients no statistically significant differences in long-term survival or in incidence of postoperative encephalopathy have been observed between electively and emergency operated patients, between patients with slight and moderate impairment of liver function (groups A and B according to Child) or between patients with alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhosis. Patients older than 60 years had a higher risk of postoperative encephalopathy and a border-line significantly lower survival rate six months after the operation. Among the patients with more than six months' survival, about 50% returned to work.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011167:Portacaval Shunt, Surgical / Q000401:mortality*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis