Complications of partial splenic embolization in cirrhotic patients.
In recent years, partial splenic embolization (PSE) has been widely used in patients with cirrhosis and hypersplenism caused by portal hypertension. We investigated the complications associated with PSE cases seen in our hospital. Seventeen cases of liver cirrhosis that had undergone PSE were examined to investigate the complications associated with it. Mean infarcted area of the spleen was 66.2%. Leukocyte and platelet counts in 16 of 17 patients were seen to improve after PSE and persisted for at least one year. The most frequent side effects were abdominal pain (82.4%) and fever (94.1%). Severe side effects were seen in two of those 17 patients. One patient died from acute on chronic liver failure. The other patients contracted bacterial peritonitis and splenic abscess and needed drainage of splenic abscess before recovery. These two cases were in Child-Pugh class B. In conclusions, PSE is a useful treatment for patients with cirrhosis and hypersplenism caused by portal hypertension. However, the possibility of severe complications, especially in patients with noncompensated cirrhosis, should be kept in mind.
Sakai
Takahisa
T
First Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
Shiraki
Katsuya
K
Inoue
Hidekazu
H
Sugimoto
Kazushi
K
Ohmori
Shigeru
S
Murata
Kazumoto
K
Takase
Koujiro
K
Nakano
Takeshi
T
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006971:Hypersplenism / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000209:etiology; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000209:etiology