Transarterial and transvenous embolotherapy of arteriovenous fistulas in the transplanted pancreas.
Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a rare but well-documented complication of pancreatic allotransplantation. Small, tortuous vessels in the head of the transplanted pancreas may complicate transarterial embolization. The authors recently encountered two women who developed clinical pancreatitis after right pelvic transplant placement with documented AVF in the head of the transplanted pancreas. In the first patient, embolization was successfully performed transarterially. In the second patient, transarterial embolization was not feasible due to the small caliber and extreme tortuosity of the pancreaticoduodenal arcade and transvenous embolic occlusion was successfully performed. Both patients recovered with normalization of enzyme levels and pain reduction.
Barth
Mara M
MM
Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 300 Brookline Ave. Boston, MA 02215, USA. mbarth@bidmc.harvard.edu
Khwaja
Khalid
K
Faintuch
Salomao
S
Rabkin
Dmitry
D
D000328:Adult; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000628:therapy*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome