Mesoportal bypass for extrahepatic portal vein obstruction in children: close to a cure for most!
OBJECTIVE
Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EPVO) is a common cause of portal hypertension in children and can lead to life-threatening bleeding, thrombocytopenia, and coagulation disorders. Mesoportal bypass (MPB) restores normal physiologic portal flow to the liver and corrects portal hypertension. There is, however, little long-term outcome data after MPB. The aim of our study was to analyze the long-term outcome after MPB in children.


METHODS
Retrospective single-center review of all MPB with more than 5-year follow-up was performed in children between 1998 and 2003.


RESULTS
Thirty children underwent MPB, which was successful in 29. Long-term follow-up is available for 24. Median age at the time of bypass was 8.5 years (range, 0.4-14.2 years). Material used for bypass was as follows: left internal jugular vein (n = 20), recanalized umbilical vein (n = 2), gastric vein, and a large colic vein (n = 2). Median time since MPB is 8 years (range, 5.3-8.8 years). One MPB using recanalized umbilical vein thrombosed at 4 months but was successfully refashioned using Gortex. One MPB with left internal jugular vein was thrombosed at 1 year after cardiac surgery. Overall, 23 of 24 children have a patent bypass and resolution of portal hypertension. All showed an decrease in spleen size. Recurrent blood flow in the cavernoma with secondary increase in spleen size occurred in 5 children (median time, 3.4 years after MPB). Further evaluation of these 5 revealed no recurrence of portal hypertension.


CONCLUSIONS
The MPB provides long-term correction of portal hypertension owing to EPVO. Where technically feasible, MPB is the preferred surgical procedure for treatment of EPVO.
Sharif
Khalid
K
Liver Unit, Birmingham Children's Hospital, B4 6NH Birmingham, UK. khalid.sharif@bch.nhs.uk
McKiernan
Patrick
P
de Ville de Goyet
Jean
J
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D007223:Infant; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation; D008102:Liver Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008642:Mesenteric Veins / Q000601:surgery*; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000601:surgery*; D011170:Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery; D012008:Recurrence; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000601:surgery; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*