title: Peripheral portosystemic shunt and its selectivity changes measured on duplex ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Portosystemic shunts offer a symptomatic treatment for portal hypertension. Their main disadvantage is decreased perfusion of the liver with portal blood. Change of peripheral shunts into total shunts after a period of time is described. This study aims to evaluate long-term hemodynamic changes in peripheral portosystemic shunts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was based on 12 patients in whom distal splenorenal shunts 8 patients) and mesocaval shunts (4 patients) were indicated respectively. Duplex sonography was used to measure the blood flow in the portal, splenic and mesenteric veins before shunt surgery and minimally 14 months postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that the reduction of the portal blood flow was not critical and no centralization of the shunt was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term blood flow in the portal vein was not severely reduced after peripheral portosystemic shunt creation, therefore the peripheral portosystemic shunt still has a role in the treatment of some patients with portal hypertension.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Surgery, Palacky University Teaching Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic. vladimirkral@fnol.cz
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Král
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Havlik
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vomácka
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Utikal
authors.forename: Radek
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vrba
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011167:Portacaval Shunt, Surgical; D011168:Portal System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D013164:Splenorenal Shunt, Surgical; D013997:Time Factors; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex