title: Portal hypertension after combined liver and intestinal transplantation, a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge?
abstract: A widely accepted technique to transplant the liver-bowel bloc is first to perform a piggyback anastomosis of the donor suprahepatic vena cava to the recipient vena cava; second to restore the arterial blood supply through an aortic interposition graft; and third to ensure venous drainage of the native foregut. The venous drainage of the native foregut can be restored through an end-to-end portocaval anastomosis between the donor infrahepatic vena cava and the recipient portal vein. Stenosis of this anastomosis can lead to portal hypertension presenting with upper GI congestion, bleeding, and hypersplenism. We report the successful treatment of this complication using an e-PTFE-covered stent inserted following balloon angioplasty.
authors.affiliation: Abdominal Transplant Surgery Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. diethard.monbaliu@uzleuven.be
authors.forename: Diethard
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monbaliu
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vandersmissen
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Hertogh
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Assche
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Noël
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Knops
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Debbaut
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heye
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pirenne
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maleux
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000209:etiology*; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D007422:Intestines / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene / Q000737:chemistry; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000601:surgery; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene